Supreme Court Blocks Punjab Government's Coercive Action Against Punjab Kesari Newspaper
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The Supreme Court has temporarily restrained the Punjab government from taking any action that could disrupt the publication of the Punjab Kesari newspaper. The move comes after the media group alleged that it was being selectively targeted by the state government over unfavourable reportage. A bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant passed the interim order after a senior advocate for the Punjab Kesari Group, Mukul Rohatgi, argued that the government's actions were an attack on the freedom of the press. Rohatgi claimed that the group's printing press had been partially shut after electricity was disconnected and two hotels run by the group were closed following regulatory action. The Punjab government, led by the Aam Aadmi Party, had maintained that only one unit of the printing press was affected due to alleged pollution violations. However, the Supreme Court repeatedly questioned the justification for any action that impacted newspaper publication, with the Chief Justice asking, "Hotel is fine, but why the newspaper should be shut?
