The Crossbill News Desk
The Editors Guild of India has strongly condemned the blocking of Tamil magazine Vikatan.com, calling it a shocking instance of government overreach.
The website was taken down by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) without due process, following objections from the Tamil Nadu unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over a cartoon depicting Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The cartoon, published on February 10, portrayed Modi shackled and seated next to former US President Donald Trump. Soon after BJP leaders in Tamil Nadu protested, the entire web portal of Vikatan was blocked, raising serious concerns about press freedom.
In a statement signed by Guild President Anant Nath, General Secretary Ruben Banerjee, and Treasurer K Ve Prasad, the Editors Guild slammed the arbitrary nature of the move.
"Cartoons have always been a legitimate means of journalistic endeavour and the sudden blocking of the Vikatan website is a brazen instance of overreach by the authorities," the statement read.
The Guild expressed outrage over the lack of due process, pointing out that Ananda Vikatan, the publisher of the website, was not given prior notice or an opportunity for a fair hearing before the site was taken down.
Shockingly, a notice was only issued after the blocking order had already been enforced, summoning the publishers before an Inter-Departmental Committee under the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 (IT Rules 2021).
"In a manner of speaking, after an order was arbitrarily implemented, due process was initiated," the Guild noted.
It further highlighted that the Bombay High Court has already placed a stay on Rule 9(1) and (3) of the IT Rules 2021, which limits the powers of the Inter-Departmental Committee to act against publishers on such grounds.
Denouncing the move as a direct attack on press freedom, the Guild stated, "The entire episode smacks of high-handedness and militates against the cherished ideals of a free press. The blocking of the website, coming amid growing concerns over media freedom in the country, does no good to India’s democratic traditions that value fair play and transparency."
The statement also expressed distress over the online harassment faced by the cartoonist, who has been subjected to social media trolling and even death threats.
Calling on the government to immediately revoke the blocking order, the Editors Guild urged MeitY to uphold the principles of free speech and avoid arbitrary actions against journalistic content.
The website was taken down by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) without due process, following objections from the Tamil Nadu unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over a cartoon depicting Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The cartoon, published on February 10, portrayed Modi shackled and seated next to former US President Donald Trump. Soon after BJP leaders in Tamil Nadu protested, the entire web portal of Vikatan was blocked, raising serious concerns about press freedom.
In a statement signed by Guild President Anant Nath, General Secretary Ruben Banerjee, and Treasurer K Ve Prasad, the Editors Guild slammed the arbitrary nature of the move.
"Cartoons have always been a legitimate means of journalistic endeavour and the sudden blocking of the Vikatan website is a brazen instance of overreach by the authorities," the statement read.
The Guild expressed outrage over the lack of due process, pointing out that Ananda Vikatan, the publisher of the website, was not given prior notice or an opportunity for a fair hearing before the site was taken down.
EGI Statement on Blocking of https://t.co/FOvrW0PI91 pic.twitter.com/8SHH0Gnl6g
— Editors Guild of India (@IndEditorsGuild) February 18, 2025
Shockingly, a notice was only issued after the blocking order had already been enforced, summoning the publishers before an Inter-Departmental Committee under the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 (IT Rules 2021).
"In a manner of speaking, after an order was arbitrarily implemented, due process was initiated," the Guild noted.
It further highlighted that the Bombay High Court has already placed a stay on Rule 9(1) and (3) of the IT Rules 2021, which limits the powers of the Inter-Departmental Committee to act against publishers on such grounds.
Denouncing the move as a direct attack on press freedom, the Guild stated, "The entire episode smacks of high-handedness and militates against the cherished ideals of a free press. The blocking of the website, coming amid growing concerns over media freedom in the country, does no good to India’s democratic traditions that value fair play and transparency."
The statement also expressed distress over the online harassment faced by the cartoonist, who has been subjected to social media trolling and even death threats.
Calling on the government to immediately revoke the blocking order, the Editors Guild urged MeitY to uphold the principles of free speech and avoid arbitrary actions against journalistic content.
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