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the complainant wherein further allegations were made and aspersions were cast on the Jain Community. Even earlier a banned book of Jains had been made the basis of objectionable reports. The Committee noted that the earlier complaint filed by Shree Shwetambar Khatargachcha Shre Sangh, Barmer against the respondent newspaper for publishing news items against Jain Community on the basis of the banned book was closed as the editor had pleaded ignorance about the banned nature of the book and had expressed regrets for the same. The repetition of the same type of news items clearly showed that the news reports were a deliberate and a malicious attempt on the part of the respondent editor to malign the Jain Community. In the view of the Committee the respondent was guilty of a gross abuse of the freedom of the press and deserved condemnation in the strongest possible language. It, therefore, decided to uphold the complaint and to recommend to the Council to censure the respondent newspaper Shri Niklanka Express, Barmer and to direct its editor to publish the gist of Council's adjudication on the front page in its forthcoming issue and send a copy of the issue carrying council's adjudication to the Press Council as well as to the complainant for record. It also recommended to the Council to report the name of the newspaper to the government for taking such action as it may deem fit for a wilful, persistant malicious attack against the Jain Community, which was also disclosed the diseased mind and perverted thinking faculty of the editor.
The Press Council on consideration of the records of the case and the report of the Inquiry Committee, accepts the reasons, findings and the recommendations of the Inquiry Committee and decides accordingly.
Authenticated Dated 23.6.97
(P.B. Sawant)
Chairman Press Council of India
