Mumbai: Responding to a long-pending demand for a law to protect journalists, the Maharashtra government on Friday passed an act in the Assembly to prevent attacks on journalists and media houses. The act was passed without any discussion in the Assembly. The act has recommended up to three years imprisonment or fine up to Rs 50,000 or both for the offenders. The act has also made a provision for punishing a media person for misusing the law.
“On account of the rampant instances of violence and attacks on media persons and damage or loss to the property of media institutions, there is a strong demand to prevent such violence and to check the recurrence of such incidents in the state. In order to effectively curb the occurrences of such incidents in the state and to protect and safeguard the media persons and property of the media persons, the government of Maharashtra has considered it expedient to enact a special law,” the act statement said.
Regarding punishment to the offender, the act said “Any offender who commits or attempts to commit or abet or instigates or provokes the commission of any act of violence in contravention of the provisions, shall be punished with imprisonment which may extend to three years or with fine which may extend to fifty thousand rupees or both.”
The offender shall be liable to pay compensation for damage or loss caused to the property of media person or media institution as determined by the court. He shall be liable to reimburse medical expenditure incurred by the media person, the act said.
However, if media person willfully misuses the provisions of the act or uses the same for malicious purposes or makes a false complaint under this act; he or she shall be punishable with imprisonment which may extend to three years or with fine which may extend to Rs 50,000 or both. The media person after conviction shall not be entitled to any government benefit and his or her accreditation card if any shall be permanently revoked, the act said.
