Constitute Press Council of Tamil Nadu within three months, HC directs TN

The Court said the Council should be headed by a retired judge of the Supreme Court or High Court; it would weed out fake journalists who indulged in illegal/unethical practices

The Madras High Court has directed the State government to constitute a body named ‘Press Council of Tamil Nadu’ (PCTN) to protect the interests of genuine journalists and clamp down on fake journalists who indulge in illegal and unethical practices such as blackmailing industrialists, businessmen, government officials and politicians for their unjust enrichment. Justices N. Kirubakaran (since retired) and P. Velmurugan ordered that the proposed PCTN should be constituted within three months, and it should be headed by a retired judge of either the Supreme Court or the High Court. Experienced and reputed journalists, both working and retired, retired civil servants and Indian Police Service (IPS) officers must be its members.