Media bodies condemn Uttarakhand government's legal notice to journalist

New Delhi: The Press Association and the Press Club of India on Saturday condemned the Uttarakhand government for issuing a legal notice to an independent journalist over his reportage on land deals in the hill state.

Independent journalist Ajit Rathi was served a legal notice by the State Infrastructure and Industrial Development Corporation of Uttarakhand Limited (SIDCUL) over his reports on leasing out land allocated for an IT Park to private parties.

The Press Association, an organisation representing journalists accredited by the central government, termed the issuance of the notice as an assault on press freedom.

Such actions by the Uttarakhand government stem from authoritarian tendencies aimed at stifling democratic discourse and preventing journalists from discharging their duty to report facts, the Press Club of India said.