Threat to withhold pensions: Govt attempts to gag criticism

It threatens to withhold pensions of officers retiring from security and intelligence agencies, if they write in the media relying on their 'domain knowledge' without permission.

Gag orders, are expected to ensure a fair trial in high profile legal cases if the judge feels that the media narrative is pushing public opinion in favour of one party. But a gag order by the Executive is harder to justify.

The government has threatened to withhold pensions of officers retiring from its security and intelligence agencies, if they write in the media relying on their “domain” knowledge without seeking prior permission. Earlier, the Official Secrets Act (OSA) was seen as adequate deterrent against ‘errant’ officials. However, not all public discussion of its security gaffes and operational failures falls