Expanding powers

The registration Bill is as draconian as the old one

The Press and Registration of Periodicals Bill, 2023, which was passed by voice vote in the Rajya Sabha last week, marked a much-awaited repeal of the Press and Registration of Books, 1867. The principal purpose of the British-era law, passed in the aftermath of the 1857 mutiny, was censorship, and it was rightly believed to be out of step with the demands of an evolving democracy such as India. Surprisingly, despite attempts to amend it, as recently as 2011, the Act continued in the statute books till the third decade of the 21st century. There are some useful changes in