Supreme Court Cites Widely Discredited Report On Press Freedom That Ranks India Below Pakistan, Afghanistan

The Supreme Court cited a widely discredited report on press freedom that ranks India below Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The report in question is the World Press Freedom Index ranking, which places India at 161 in terms of journalistic freedom.

Experts have criticized the index for ranking India below Taliban-run Afghanistan, where journalists have been murdered in broad daylight, including an Indian photojournalist, and Army-run Pakistan, where journalists are often kidnapped by the intelligence agency, ISI, and murdered, even in safe havens outside the country.

"We are 161 in terms of journalistic freedom," Justice KM Joseph, who was heading the bench, made the observation during a hearing on Tuesday (9 May), a report in the Bar and Bench said.

However, the Central government's second seniormost law officer, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, disputed the credibility of such rankings.

He responded, "Depends on person giving the ranking, I can also have someone give number one ranking to India...so it totally depends."

This exchange occurred during a case challenging the remission granted by the Gujarat government to the 11 convicts.