PIL against Govt order : HC gives time to reply
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, January 25 2023:
The High Court of Manipur has given the Government time till February 13 to furnish its reply against a PIL (Public Interest Litigation) filed in the Court challenging the legality of an order which prohibited publishing of books on Manipur without prior screening by a Government committee.
Advocate Ngangom Junior Luwang and Anthony Ch appeared on behalf of the petitioner.
Notably, the State Government had issued an order on September 13, 2022 setting up a committee which would screen books on the history, culture, tradition and geography of Manipur before publication.
The same order had prohibited publication of such books without the prior screening and approval of the committee.
Subsequently, senior journalist Pradip Phanjoubam had filed the PIL challenging the Government order on December 19, 2022 .
Prior to filing the PIL, the senior journalist had written a letter on October 28, 2022, to the Law Minister to withdraw the Government order of September 13, 2022 .
Pradip in the PIL contended that if any book or published research work leads to a false and demeaning image of Manipur, there are other legal means to seek retribution against publishers, authors and researchers to withdraw their works from the market, or to pay for damages.
Meanwhile, the Court had first heard the PIL on December 19, 2022 and it had given the Government time till January 23 to reply.
As the Government failed to give a reply and asked for more time, the Court, on January 23, ordered it to furnish a reply till February 13 .