Nityanand Rai, MoS (Home)
New Delhi, February 8
Union Minister of State (MoS) for Home Nityanand Rai today informed the Lok Sabha that there does not exist any registered body by the name of “Kashmir Press Club” in Jammu and Kashmir, as it has failed to register itself under the Societies Registration Act, 1860.
Replying to a written question in the House, the minister said the Estates Department of the UT administration has taken over the government building where the Kashmir Press Club was operated on January 17 in the presence of the Srinagar executive magistrate.
“At present, there is no registered body by the name of Kashmir Press Club or its elected managing body since the Kashmir Press Club, as a registered body, has ceased to exist and has failed to register itself under the Societies Registration Act, 1860,” the minister said.
Rai said the government was committed to ensure the right to freedom of speech and expression enshrined under the Article 19 of the Constitution of India.
Replying to another question, the minister said the methodology used in the World Press Freedom Index, published by foreign NGO Reporters Without Borders, is questionable.
“The government does not subscribe to its views and country rankings and does not agree with the conclusions drawn by the organisation for various reasons, including very low sample size, little or no weightage to fundamentals of democracy, adoption of a methodology, which is questionable and non-transparent, lack of clear definition of press freedom,” the minister noted.
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