Parliament passes controversial Press and Registration Bill 2023

NEW DELHI: Lok Sabha passed the Press and Registration of Periodicals Bill on Thursday which will authorize an officer sent by the Registrar General of the Press to enter any newspaper office and inspect the records. With the bill also getting through the Rajya Sabha, it is more or less clear that the central agencies will soon step foot on the many press offices in India.

Along with this, the Rajya Sabha passed three Criminal Law Bills and the Lok Sabha passed a bill specifying the composition of the three-member committee for the appointment of the Election Commissioner. It was passed by voice vote in the absence of the opposition. After this, the winter meeting ended a day before it was scheduled.

The bill says that the figures related to the circulation of newspapers and periodicals can be checked. A Gazette Officer will be assigned the inspection duty. The officer can be from any department and will have the authority to inspect at any time and can also question the owner of the newspaper firm. Those with terrorist connections cannot run the press while foreign media firms will be allowed to start editions in India.