There were 165 cases of paid news during Madhya Pradesh assembly elections last year while 81 cases were registered in Rajasthan and 25 cases in Delhi, the Rajya Sabha was told today.
Karnataka also registered 93 cases of paid news during the assembly elections, I&B Minister Manish Tewari said in a written reply in the Upper House.
Punjab and Gujarat also reported 523 and 414 cases of paid news respectively during the assembly polls in 2012, he said even as he noted that no case of paid news has been adjucated by the Press Council of India in 2012-13 and 2013-14.
PCI in its report on paid news has recommeded amendment to the Representations of the People Act 1951 to make incidence of paid news a punishable electoral malpractice and also demanded that it should be fully empowered to adjucate the compaints of paid news and give final judgement in the matter.
The Minister said the Election Commission has issued instructions to the chief electoral officers of all states to constitute district-level and state-level media certification and monitoring committees for scrutiny of paid news.
These committees have also been instructed to do vigorous scrutinise electronic, print and other modes of mass communication to locate political advertisement during election period.
During the assembly elections last year, he said, no cases of paid news was reported from North Eastern states.
Confirmed cases of paid news were reported in 2011 assembly elections in Assam (27), Tamil Nadu (22), Kerala (65) and West Bengal (8).
