Newssies

The Supreme Court on Tuesday permitted Punjab Kesari to keep one of its printing presses operational after it was shut down by the Punjab Pollution Control Board. The closure was reportedly linked to the newspaper publishing a critical report about the state government. Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing before a bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi, requested an urgent stay on the closure of both the press and a hotel managed by the group. As per a report in TOI, the Punjab government, represented by Advocate General Maninderjit Singh Bedi and Additional Advocate General Shadan Farasat, argued that liquor bottles were discovered at the printing press and that the hotel had violated pollution regulations. The bench expressed less concern about the hotel but emphasized that the printing press should not be closed. Bedi noted that the newspaper had filed a writ petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which had heard the case extensively on Monday and reserved its judgment. Rohatgi stated that the newspaper approached the Supreme Court after the High Court declined to stay the closure orders affecting the printing press in Jalandhar and the hotel in Ludhiana. The bench instructed, “Do not obstruct the publication of the newspaper by shutting down one of its printing presses. The hotel, being a commercial establishment, will be dealt with according to the law. Allow the newspaper to operate and publish its editions.” When Farasat reiterated the claim about liquor bottles found at the press, Rohatgi countered that the closure was primarily due to the publication of an unfavorable article. The court permitted the printing press to continue functioning and ordered that the status quo be maintained regarding the hotel.