Government files criminal complaint against Hindustan Times on wrong map

The Centre government has filed a criminal complaint against publishers, printers and auditors of Hindustan Times daily for “publishing a map of India in which whole of J&K and parts of the Northeast have been shown as not parts of India”. On the directions of I&B ministry, the Registrar of New-spapers for India has filed a complaint with the Delhi police against the English daily under Section 2 (2) of Criminal Law Amendment (Amending) Act, 1990.

The complaint to the police states that Hindustan Times, New Delhi, published the wrong map of India on October 15. “On page 12 of Hindustan Times, a map of India has been published in which the whole of Kashmir and a number of parts of Northeast have been shown as not the part of India. As per the Gazette of India, Criminal law Amendment (Amending) Act, 1990, no 9 of 1990, dated 17 April 1990, it is a criminal act,” the complaint said. As per the Act “whoever publishes a map of India, which is not in conformity with the maps of India as published by the Survey of India, shall be pubnishable with imprisonment which may extend to six months, or with fine, or with both.”

“No court shall take cognizance of an offence punishable under sub-section (2), except on a complaint made by the government,” the complaint added.

“On the directions of Ministry of I&B, I am filing herewith, a complaint against the publisher, Sharad Saxena, and Editor Nardeep Singh Dahiya,” stated the complaint by Deputy Press Registrar R K Bhardwaj.