By our legal Correspondent
Thrissur, Aug 28 (IVC) The journalists here are up in arms with the Union State Minister for Petroleum and natural gas and Tourism, Mr Suresh Gopi (who represents Lok Sabha from Thrissur) for his inappropriate behavior with the pressmen on Aug 27.
The Thrissur District Committee of the Kerala Union of Working Journalists (KUWJ) had sought an apology from the Honourable Minister. According to media reports, the minister disagreed to talk with the pressmen when they asked his comments on the controversial Hema Committee report.
Suresh Gopi was enraged when the pressmen followed him with their mike without his consent and made stumbling block in his way at Ramanilayam here yesterday, the media reported. It was also reported that Gopi had stated earlier that he was not the proper person to comment on the report as he was not connected with cinema for some years.
It was not known from the statement of the KUWJ whether the pressmen had taken prior permission of the minister to meet him for comments on the report.
The pressmen without taking the prior permission of the minister made stumbling block in his way when he started to go from the Ramanilayam for an official programme and hence the Minister was visibly agitated and said “my way is my right”. The misbehavior of the minister Suresh G would be attributed only when the pressmen took his prior appointment and permission and then refused to meet them would be a misbehavior.
It was understood from the statement of the KUWJ that the pressmen had not taken prior permission from the minister for comments on the Hema Committee report.
It was high time for the pressmen in Thrissur to know that they had no special privileges in India at all. The Supreme Court of India had ruled in Express Newspapers v Union of India in 1958 and the Bennet Cloeman (Proprietors of The times of India publication) v Union of India in 1973 and later also the apex court had ruled similarly in other cases . The Supreme Court had quoted in its judgments the Article 19 (1) (a) of the Constitution as follows: “The Press, as such, has no special privileges in India. From the fact the measure of the freedom of the Press iis the sameas that of an ordinary citizen under Article 19(1)(a)”. But at the same time ,MPs have certain privileges under Article 105 of the Constitution.
It would observed from the statement of KUWJ that what offence committed by the minister was not known. Hence the attempt of the KUWJ to seek apology from the minister would be tantamount to making a mountain out of a molehill.
Even though the pressmen had no special privileges in India, they make believe the common man that they have certain special privileges under the smoke screen of their arrogance. It was high time for the pressmen here to take prior permission of the ministers for comments and other VIPs to avoid the unhappy situations like this. The Former MLA also filed a formal complaint with the acity Police Commissioner seekin action against the minister which also has not mentioned the offence under section Gopi committed.
The Thrissur City Corporation’s Congress party Councilors also displayed their protest by tearing a photograph of Suresh Gopi. The position of the pressmen in Thrissur was so miserable that they make mountains out of mole hiss. They forget that “ journalism is the intelligent anticipation of events”.
