Draft Bill to stop attacks on scribes to be ready in month: CM Devendra Fadnavis

MUMBAI: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis today said the first draft of the Bill to prevent attacks on mediapersons will be ready in a month.

"I am positive about formulating a law to prevent attacks on journalists. The first draft of the Bill will be ready in a month's time and will be available for suggestions and objections," Fadnavis told representatives of journalists organisations here.

The Chief Minister added that opinion of senior lawyers would be taken to make the proposed law foolproof.

Fadnavis said the report of a cabinet sub-committee led by former minister Narayan Rane would be rejected in the cabinet and a proposal to this effect would be brought in the cabinet meeting after the ongoing Monsoon Session of the State Legislature concludes.

"The previous government had neither accepted nor rejected the recommendations of the Rane Committee," he said.

Journalist organisations complained that their views were not sought while framing the recommendations.

Fadnavis said the existing IPC provisions are bailable and non-cognisable. "The special Act will make attack on journalists a non-bailable and cognisable offence," he added.

Representatives of journalists organisations said preventing a mediaperson from doing his duty physically or by threatening should be treated as an attack on the media person.

Fadnavis added that the proposed law does not regulate broadcast, but only attacks on journalists.