The Tamil Nadu State government has informed the Madras High Court that power or jurisdiction to constitute a Press Council for the state is not vested with them.
In August 2021, with an aim to identify fake journalists who are involved in illegal acts like extortion and to protect the interests of genuine journalists, the Madras High Court directed the Tamil Nadu government to create a Press Council of Tamil Nadu.
The court also directed that the Council should be headed by a retired High Court or Supreme Court judge and should consist of a team of senior and retired journalists and IAS and IPS officers.
During the submission on February 9th Tamil Nadu advocate-general R Shunmugasundaram stated that only the central government can constitute a press council and the state government does not have power to constitute or the same.
He also said that the state can only regulate accreditation of journalists.
