Consider Media Personnel As “Frontline Workers” And Enforce the Right to Life and Health Enshrined in Article 21 of The Constitution of India, PIL Filed in Supreme Court. Seeks Priority Vaccination Drive for The Journalist.
(Judicial Quest News Network)
A PIL has been filed in Supreme Court seeking directions to central government to initiate a priority-based vaccination drive for journalists, media personnel and their families against COVID-19 and consider them as frontline workers.
The PIL filed by Advocate Vishal Tiwari has stated that the journalists and media personnel should be considered as frontline workers and their constitutional rights of health and safety should be enforced.
The pettitoes urged the court to issue directions to have a specific insurance policy during COVID-19 for the Journalist and Media Personnel for safe future of them and their families.
The petitioner further contends that the country has experienced many horrors in the form of a medical emergency, economic hardship due to the ensuing lockdown to minimize the rate of transmission of COVID-19 in India, since the time of the emergence of COVID-19 in India. A major financial crisis and slump in the service/lawyer, transport and tourism industries and other SME sectors was the Second wave of COVID-19 in 2020. India’s deadly Covid-19 second wave has devastated big cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Lucknow and Pune. Hospitals and crematoriums have run out of space, and funerals are taking place in car parks.
But the pandemic has now firmly gripped many smaller cities, towns and villages where the devastation is largely under-reported.
Under these circumstances the Media fraternity have been bravely updating the society staking their lives.
During pandemic Journalism has done two-fold jobs, first it kept citizens aware of the Situations, incidents when all were Confined in the houses because of lockdown, secondly journalism Operated as a Check to the Mischievous and Notorious Activities done in the pandemic by Criminal organizations, for e.g., Hoarding, black-marketing, fake medicines and etc. It drew the attention of Government and Administration towards Such Activities.
The central government is not even noticing these kinds of gestures done by the state government to protect humanity. The journalists should be declared as front liners by the central government as Our country is in a terrible state, and despite this, journalists are still out there, presenting us with critical news coverage and reports without fear of their lives.
Many of them died, and nobody even takes care of their lives. Journalists are also front-line professionals who sacrifice their life to bring you news from all over the world. They are not yet having vaccine slots, but they should be vaccinated
as soon as possible because the country’s situation is deteriorating, and according to the covid instructions, front-line workers are getting vaccinated first and foremost.
Broadcasting of news directly from the spot to make people aware about the present situation is a service of sacrifice and yet the government has not recognised the value of the lives of such unrecognised front workers.
The petitioner contends that the freedom and action of press is considered as the fourth pillar of democracy wherein such pillar stands as the foundation of the democratic society.
A free exchanging of ideas, free exchange of information and knowledge, criticism and different viewpoints is important for smooth functioning of the democracy. Such information gathered by the journalist through their tireless efforts will enable the people to take informed decisions and be reasonably aware of the situation in our society.
There has been a seven-fold increase in deaths reported in the last one month in India.
In the present dispute, the petitioner is an advocate who is filing this petition against the Government of India. The Petitioner is also from the family of Journalist and is Educated and brought up in the atmosphere of this profession. The father of Petitioner has remained Accredited (by Rajasthan Government) Editor and Publisher of a Fortnight Newspaper for more than 15 years. The petitioner understands the hardship faced by the journalists in their profession and despite of hardships they carry out their duty towards the nation as the fourth pillar of Democracy.
The second wave of Covid-19 infections is spreading across the country and state after state is announcing restrictions even though a nationwide lockdown has been avoided. The outbreak is no longer concentrated in a few states or even in urban areas as was earlier thought. April 2021 which has seen the unabated rise of cases in what is being termed India’s ‘Second Wave’ has also been the worst for journalists in India, with 52 deaths being
