The Hindu : National : Publication of IHT: Centre to file caveats

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Tuesday, Jun 08, 2004

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National

Publication of IHT: Centre to file caveats

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, JUNE 7. The Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry has decided to file caveats in the Andhra Pradesh and Delhi High Courts to prevent the International Herald Tribune (IHT) from getting any ex parte orders against the Government's directive to immediately stop publishing from Indian soil.

The decision was taken today after the IHT came out with its issue this morning ``in violation of the Ministry's instruction'' last Friday that it should stop publication in India immediately. Reacting to media reports of the paper being published in India from The Deccan Chronicle Press at Kondapur near Hyderabad by T. Venkattram Reddy on behalf of Midram Publications Private Limited, the Ministry had asked the paper and the printer-publisher to stop its publication in India with immediate effect.

To ensure that the letter reached the IHT management, the I&B Ministry roped in the External Affairs Ministry to have India's Consul-General in Hong Kong serve the order on the Asia Pacific Managing Director of the IHT based there. As of this evening, neither the paper nor Midram Publications had responded to the Ministry's letter.

According to the Ministry, the publication of the IHT in India violates the guidelines prescribed for syndication and the 1955 Cabinet Resolution under which no foreign-owned newspaper or periodical should, in future, be allowed to be published in India. Also, the Resolution does not allow foreign newspapers and periodicals that deal mainly with news and current affairs to bring out Indian editions.

However, since both these provisions were not notified, the Ministry is delving into its records to see if either of them can be traced back to any statute before proceeding further.

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