DAINIK SAMBAD Vs. STATE OF TRIPURA

JUDGEMENT

(1.) This petition is taken up for hearing at the Notice of Motion stage as agreed by the learned counsel for the parties.

(2.) The petitioner 1, Dainik Sambad, is a daily newspaper published in Bengali from Agartala, Tripura and petitioner 2 is its owner and Editor. The petitioners allege violation of rights under Arts.14, 19 (1) (a), 19 (1) (g), and 300A of the Constitution of India making mainly five grievances in this petition, namely, (i) that while constituting the Press Advisory Committee with a view to guide the Government of Tripura in matters of its advertisement policy and other matters concerning the press, it discriminated against and interfered with freedom of press of Dainik Sambad by excluding its Editor from the Committee while including those of Weekly Desher Katha, Tapari, Tripura Reporters Guild, and Gandaut; (ii) that the Government has discriminated against the petitioners while fixing the rates structure for Government advertisement in its advertisement policy, particularly in respect of display advertisements fixing Rs. 4/- per column centimetre, which the D.A.V.P. pays Rs. 7.50 per column centimetre; (iii) that contrary to the advertisement policy of the Government of Tripura, the petitioners have been discriminated against by reducing the quantum of advertisements allotted to Dainik Sambad; (iv) that the Tripura Advertisement Policy Rules empowering the Government to Tripura to stop issuance of Government advertisement to a newspaper which according to it incites communal feelings or breach, violation or offends socially accepted conventions of public decency and morals, are unconstitutional, void and inoperative; and (v) that the order stopping subscription of 408 copies of Dainik Sambad to the Government information centres, is unconstitutional and void.

(3.) Mr. J.P. Bhattacharjee, the learned counsel for the petitioners, submits that this is a fit case where this Court should intervene to remove the manifold discrimination against the newspaper Dainik Sambad.