Media bodies urge appointment of new Press Council of India chief

Media associations on Sunday urged the government to appoint a new chairperson to PCI (Press Council of India), after the post fell vacant following the completion of Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai’s tenure last month.

In a joint statement, press associations and journalists’ bodies from Mumbai, Assam, West Bengal, Odisha and the Chandigarh–Punjab region said the PCI, a statutory and quasi-judicial body mandated to safeguard press freedom, has been without a chairperson for the first time since its establishment.

“The term of the 14th Council ended more than a year ago, but the full 15th Council is yet to be formed, and the post of chairman has not been filled, while the last chairman’s three-year extended term ended in December,” the statement said.

Justice Desai completed her tenure as PCI chairperson on 16 December, after which she was appointed chairperson of the Eighth Pay Commission.

The media bodies said the 15th PCI has not been fully constituted as appointments in the categories of editors and working journalists are still awaited.

The PCI comprises 29 members, including the chairperson, and has a tenure of three years. At present, 14 members have been appointed to the Council, including five Members of Parliament, three nominees and six representatives from the owners and management category.

The associations said that in the absence of a chairperson, the process of constituting the full Council cannot move forward, affecting the functioning of the statutory body tasked with addressing complaints against the press and protecting journalistic standards.

They called on the government to expedite the appointment process to ensure the PCI can function effectively.

With PTI inputs