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REGISTERED NO. DL—(N)04/0007/2003—25
The Gazette of India
EXTRAORDINARY
PART II — Section 2
PUBLISHED BY AUTHORITY
No. 19] NEW DELHI, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2025/AGRAHAYANA 14, 1947 (Saka)
Separate paging is given to this Part in order that it may be filed as a separate compilation.
RAJYA SABHA
___________
I
Bill No. XLIII of 2024
The following Bills have been introduced in the Rajya Sabha on the 5th December, 2025:—
A Bill to provide for the establishment of a National Committee for Protection of
Media Persons for the effective prevention of violence in cases related to
arbitrary censorship, intimidation, assault, or risk to free speech of media
and for matters connected therewith and incidental thereto.
BE it enacted by the Parliament in the Seventy- fifth Year of the Republic of
India as follows: —
CHAPTER I
PRELIMINARY
1. (1) This Act may be called the National Committee for Protection of Media
Persons Act, 2024.
(2) It shall come into force on such date as the Central Government may, by
notification in the Official Gazette, appoint.
Short title and
commencement.
I
RAJYA SABHA
___________
The following Bills have been introduced in the Rajya Sabha on the 5th December, 2025:-
CG-DL-E-09122025-268360
Definitions.
2. In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,—
(i) “accredited media person” means a person who is accredited by
the Central Government under prevailing accreditation rules with
a purpose to facilitate the collection of news/ information;
(ii) “appropriate Government” means in the case of a State, the
Government of that State and in all other cases, the Central
Government;
(iii) “arbitrary censorship” means the suppression, prohibition, or
control of information, communication and expression without
proper and reasonable, legal or constitutional basis;
(iv) “assault” shall have the same meaning as ascribed to it under
Section 130 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023;
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(v) “Committee” means the National Committee for Protection of
Media Persons constituted under section 6 of this Act;
(vi) “Council” means the Executive Council of the Committee under
section 10 of this Act;
(vii) “intimidation” shall have the same meaning as ascribed to it under
Section 130 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023;
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(viii) “media institution” includes any newspaper establishment
registered under the Registrar of Newspapers for India, news
channel establishment, news-based electronic media
establishment, or news station or news portal establishment,
professionally engaged in the collection, processing, and
dissemination of information, views and opinion to the public as
well as collection and dissemination of public opinion;
(ix) “media person” means an employee or representative, of a media
institution, either whole-time or part-time and includes an editor,
writer, news editor, sub-editor, feature writer, copy-editor,
reporter, correspondent, cartoonist, digital news publisher, news photographer, news-videographer, copy-tester trainee media
person, news gatherer, or a freelance journalist eligible to be
accredited as freelance journalist under prevailing Central Media
Accreditation Rules;
(x) “newspaper” means a periodical of loosely folded sheets usually
printed on newsprint and brought out daily or at least once in a
week, containing information on current events, public news or
comments on public news;
(xi) “News and current affairs content” means newly received or
noteworthy content, including analysis, especially about recent
events primarily of socio-political, economic or cultural nature,
made available over newspapers, internet or computer networks,
and through any digital media, where the context, substance,
purpose, import and meaning of such information is in the nature
of news and current affairs content;
(xii) “Register” means the Register for Media Persons maintained
under Section 3 of this Act;
(xiii) “prescribed” means prescribed by rules made under this Act; and
(xiv) “violence” means an act which causes any harm, injury or
endangerment of life or intimidation, obstruction or harassment or
coercion or assault of criminal force or threat to journalist in
discharge of his service or duties or causes to be the reason for
damage or loss to the property or reputation of a journalist or a
media institution.
CHAPTER II
REGISTER FOR MEDIA PERSONS
3. (1) The Government shall maintain a Register for media persons
(hereinafter referred to as the Register) in such form and manner as
may be prescribed.
(2) The Register shall be a public document, under section 74 of the
Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023 and shall be published on the website
of the National Committee for Protection of Media Persons in the manner
prescribed for this purpose.
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(3) Additions, deletions or alterations to the Register along with the
effective date shall be reflected on the website within thirty days from the
date of such change.
(4) Every person who is eligible under section 4 of this Act shall be eligible
for registration as a media person.
(5) Every person whose application has been accepted shall be given a
registration number and the manner of assignment of such registration
numbers shall be such as may be prescribed by the Committee constituted
under section 6 of this Act.
(6) Such registration shall be valid for a period of three years from the date
of registration, for accredited media persons and two years for non accredited media persons:
Provided that, after expiry of the validity of the registration period, the
registration shall be eligible for renewal for an extended period equivalent
to the initial period.
(7) Registration under sub-section (1) will, however, not confer any
benefits or entitlements other than those expressly provided in this Act.
Register for
media persons.
4. (1) Every person practising and having at least one year of experience in
journalism and fulfilling the below mentioned conditions shall be eligible
for registration as a media person:—
(a) at least six articles/ news and current affairs content, affiliated
to, authored, or co-authored in his or her name and published by
a Media Institution in the five months prior to the date of
application for such registration; or
(b) has received at least one payment from a Media Institution for
compilation of news in the preceding five months; or
(c) has taken photographs related to current affairs that have been
published by a Media Institution at least three times in the
preceding three months; or
(d) certified by a media institution as being employed by it as a
media person, as defined in section 2 of this Act:
Provided that no employee of Government/ semi-Government/
board/corporation/ organisations which are wholly, or partially funded by
the Government can apply for registration as a media person on the basis of
publication of their articles in newspapers or magazines.
Eligibility for
registration as a
media person.
CHAPTER III
NATIONAL COMMITTEE FOR PROTECTION OF MEDIA PERSONS
Constitution
of the
National
Committee
for Protection
of Media
Persons.
5. (1) The Central Government shall, by notification in the Official
Gazette, with effect from such date as it may appoint, constitute a
Committee, to be known as the National Committee for Protection of
Media Persons, to exercise the powers conferred upon, and to perform
the functions assigned to it, under this Act.
(2) The Committee shall be a body corporate by the name aforesaid,
having perpetual succession and a common seal, with power, subject to
the provisions of this Act, to acquire, hold and dispose of property, both
movable and immovable, and to contract, and shall, by the said name,
sue or be sued.
(3) The Committee shall comprise the following bodies:—
(a) Executive Council.
(b) Unit for Admitting Cases and Rapid Reaction.
(c) Risk Evaluation Unit.
(4) The headquarters of the Committee shall be at such place in the
National Capital Territory of Delhi, and it shall have regional and other
offices in any other place in India as the Central Government may by
notification, specify.
(5) The Cabinet Secretary of the Union Government shall be the ex-officio
Secretary to the Committee.
(6) The Central Government may appoint such number of officers and
staff including experts to the Committee, as may be required for its
efficient functioning.
Objectives
and Functions
of the
Committee.
6. The Committee shall exercise and perform the following functions: —
(a) protect the rights of media persons and media institutions guaranteed
under article 19 (1) (a) of the Constitution;
(b) provide necessary protection to:
(i) media person(s) or media institution(s) who are facing arbitrary
censorship, intimidation, violence, assault, or risk, either
physical or verbal;
(ii) partner by marriage or otherwise, any next of kin or dependents
of the media person;
(iii) persons from the same media institution, who participate,
collaborate or associate in the same or similar activities; and
(iv) property, goods or other objects belonging to the media
person(s), group, institution.
(c) to direct, coordinate, evaluate and review specific actions that ensure
that those media persons and media institutions, who are at risk in
the performance of their work or profession, are provided with the
necessary conditions to continue their activities;
(d) to enquire and investigate into violence upon media persons and
media institutions or threats and risks to them and pass appropriate
directions to the concerned authorities for their protection;
(e) to summon relevant authorities and call for relevant documents in
connection with enquiries and investigation, the passing of
appropriate directions of protection and prevention, and the
evaluation and review of such orders; and
(f) any other functions as assigned to it by the Central Government from
time to time.
7. (1) The Committee shall serve as the designated authority for monitoring
the registration of media persons.
(2) The Committee shall be vested with the power to determine the
following matters: —
(a) all applications received for registration as a media person;
(b) all applications for renewal of registration as a media person;
(c) additions, deletions or alterations of entries in the Register,
specified under section 3 of the Act; and
(d) revocation of registration in case of non-compliance with
established rules and regulations.
(3) The Committee shall conduct annual reviews of the Register, and may,
as necessary, modify, update or correct entries to ensure its accuracy and
completeness.
(4) The Committee shall meet at such regular intervals, as may be
prescribed, for evaluation and determination of the applications received for
registration and renewal of registration.
(5) The Committee may, from time to time, issue guidelines or directives
to administer the registration process and to ensure compliance with the
objectives and provisions of this Act.
(6) The Committee shall have the power to revoke the registration of a
media person and strike-off the name of such person from the Register if, it
comes to the conclusion, on the basis of an enquiry conducted thereon, that
the registration was erroneous or was done as a result of material mis representation, suppression of facts or fraud:
Provided that no such action shall be taken without giving notice and
affording a reasonable opportunity of hearing to the concerned media
person, in such form and manner as may be prescribed.
Committee to be
the authority for