Affiliation of India Magazines (AIM) is disturbed by the arbitrary blocking of the web site vikatan.com (printed by the Tamil journal writer Ananda Vikatan), by the Ministry of Electronics and Data Expertise (MEITY), on February 15, 2025.
As per the assertion issued by the writer, this blocking was performed following a grievance file by Tamil Nadu BJP President Okay. Annamalai, to the Ministry of Data and Broadcasting (MIB) on February 15, 2025 itself, over a political cartoon printed in Vikatan Plus.
The speedy and swift motion by MeitY on the identical day is disturbing. There was no discover issued to the writer, no alternative to be heard, and never even a proper order shared by MeitY earlier than the complete web site was blocked, purportedly in response to a mere grievance by the state head of the ruling social gathering. The grievance was towards publishing political satire, which has ceaselessly been an integral a part of journalistic expression.
Additional, as per Vikatan’s assertion, the identical day officers from the Press Bureau of India additionally visited their registered workplace to inquire whether or not Vikatan Plus was obtainable in print. It was clarified that the journal was a digital-only publication.
In an ironic sequence of occasions, a day after the web site (which attracts a month-to-month person base of near 90 lakhs), was unjustifiably blocked, the publishers have been served a discover by the MIB, informing them {that a} assembly of the Inter-Departmental Committee constituted underneath the Data Expertise (Middleman Pointers and Digital Media Ethics Code) Guidelines, 2021 (IT Guidelines 2021), had been known as on 17.02.2025 at 4:00 PM, to contemplate the request for blocking of the content material in query.
Written with the View : afaqs