Journalism in India

An 1878 colonial law let the government shut down any Indian-language newspaper without a court hearing. Today, India’s press reaches hundreds of millions of readers, but it grew up fighting laws exactly like that one. This article covers journalism in India as an institution. It traces the colonial-era origins, the constitutional right that protects the press, the bodies that regulate it, and its evolution into broadcast and digital media.

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Indian Polity · Polity0159

Journalism in India

From colonial censorship to a statutory-plus-self-regulated press

1878

Vernacular Press Act lets the colonial government censor Indian-language newspapers. Repealed 1881.

1947

Press Trust of India (PTI) set up in Madras, days after Independence. Begins operating February 1949.

1978

Press Council of India (PCI) established by statute, a watchdog for print press freedom and standards.

2024

RNI renamed Press Registrar General of India (PRGI) as the Press and Registration of Periodicals Act, 2023 takes effect.

A patchwork, not one regulator

No single body oversees Indian journalism today. Print has the statutory PCI, broadcast has the self-regulatory NBDSA, and large parts of digital news still sit outside both.

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Must Know

• The Indian Constitution does not name “freedom of the press” as a separate right. It is read into Article 19(1)(a), the right to freedom of speech and expression.
• The Supreme Court established this in Romesh Thappar v. State of Madras (1950) and Sakal Papers v. Union of India (1962). Both cases struck down laws restricting newspaper circulation.
• Press freedom is not absolute. Article 19(2) allows reasonable restrictions, on grounds like sovereignty, public order, decency, contempt of court, and defamation.
• The Press Council of India (PCI) is a statutory watchdog body, set up under the Press Council Act, 1978. Its mandate is to preserve press freedom and maintain standards among newspapers and news agencies.
• The Registrar of Newspapers for India (RNI) was renamed the Press Registrar General of India (PRGI). This followed the Press and Registration of Periodicals Act, 2023, in force from 1 March 2024. It handles registration of print periodicals.

Good to Know

• The colonial Vernacular Press Act, 1878 targeted only Indian-language newspapers, exempting English-language papers entirely. It let officials seize presses and demand bonds against “seditious” writing, without a court hearing.
• Editors like Surendranath Banerjee and Bal Gangadhar Tilak opposed the Act. Amrita Bazar Patrika switched overnight to English publication to escape it. The Act was repealed in 1881, but it hardened nationalist opposition to press censorship.
• The Press Trust of India (PTI) was set up on 27 August 1947 in Madras. It began full operations in February 1949, after acquiring the Indian operations of Reuters’ Associated Press of India. PTI remains a nonprofit cooperative of more than 450 Indian newspapers.
• The Editors Guild of India was founded in 1978 by journalist Kuldip Nayar, to protect press freedom and raise editorial standards.
• PCI’s original predecessor was set up in 1966, under a 1965 Act. It was abolished during the Emergency (1975-77) and reestablished under the current 1978 Act. The Council has a Chairman, by convention a retired Supreme Court judge, and 28 members, 20 of them from the media.

Test Yourself

Please wait…

1. Which Article of the Indian Constitution is read to include freedom of the press?

Article 21

Article 32

Article 19(1)(a)

Article 14

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Great to Know

• India’s press regulation is a patchwork, not one system. Print journalism has the statutory PCI. Broadcast news has a self-regulatory body, the News Broadcasting and Digital Standards Authority (NBDSA), operational since 2 October 2008. Large parts of digital news still fall outside both, governed instead by the separate IT Rules framework for online intermediaries.
• PCI’s own powers are limited. It can investigate complaints and issue findings, but it cannot fine or otherwise penalise violators beyond censure. Digital media, news channels, and radio all sit outside its jurisdiction entirely. That gap is one reason NBDSA and the IT Rules developed as separate, parallel tracks, instead of PCI simply expanding its own remit.
• The colonial-era split between vernacular and English-language press, used deliberately to target one over the other, has an echo in a modern representation gap. As of 2026, 13 of PCI’s 29 seats remain vacant. These are the seats reserved for working journalists and journalist-editors, held up by a dispute over how they should be filled.
• PCI regulates press conduct, but does not accredit journalists or fund their welfare. Those functions sit with a separate government body, covered in Polity0162 — Press Information Bureau (PIB) and Journalist Welfare in India.

Current Affairs

• In its 2026 World Press Freedom Index, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) ranked India 157th out of 180 countries, down six places from 151st in 2025. RSF placed India in its “very serious” category. It cited rising violence against journalists, highly concentrated media ownership, and the use of national security laws against reporters. (Source: Drishti IAS, citing RSF)
• On 24 April 2026, Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai returned as PCI Chairperson for a second three-year term. She had previously served from 17 June 2022 to 16 December 2025. Thirteen of the Council’s journalist seats remain vacant, amid an unresolved dispute over how those members should be selected. (Source)
• The Press and Registration of Periodicals Act, 2023 came into force on 1 March 2024, repealing the colonial-era Press and Registration of Books Act, 1867. It renamed the RNI as the Press Registrar General of India (PRGI).