Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC) is thinking of adopting Central Civil Services (CCS) Rules for its employees for disciplinary cases, according to Indian Express report. The premier Central institution for journalism education will discuss this in its Executive Council (EC) meet, scheduled to take place today. Notably, the CCS rules are meant for government employees. While a section of faculty members claimed that the move, if it takes place, was nothing but a clear tactics to suppress dissent and curb academic freedom, the report says.
Three JD(U) MPs have raised concern over the issue. Ali Anwar Ansari, Kahkashan Perween and Ramnath Thakur of the CM Nitish Kumar-led party have written a letter to I&B Minister Smriti Irani on July 26 in this connection, IE report says. The CCS Rules 1964 state, “No Government servant shall, in any radio broadcast, telecast through any electronic media or in any document published in his own name or anonymously, pseudonymously or in the name of any other person or in any communication to the press or in any public utterance, make any statement of fact or opinion which has the effect of an adverse criticism of any current or recent policy or action of the Central Government or a State Government.”
An agenda note issued by the institution reads: “A Committee was constituted by DG, IIMC, with a view to strengthen, expand, elaborate and revise provisions related to Code of Conduct, Professional ethics and Disciplinary matters in the Bye Laws of the IIMC. During the Committee meetings, there was a suggestion that the Central Government\’s CCS Conduct Rules may be adopted by IIMC as such along with all other procedural rules such as CCS (CCA Rules) to cover the disciplinary cases.”
IIMC DG K G Suresh chose not to divulge the issue saying he could not comment on agenda items of the EC until they had been discussed in the meeting. Professor Jaishri Jethwaney, who was member of the Committee until October 2016, before she retired, said she didn’t think the Committee submitted a report per se. “It was decided that viewpoints would be sought from a larger group… There were apprehensions because these rules belong to file pushers and not academicians,” she said.
IIMC was inaugurated on August 17, 1965, by the then Minister for Information and Broadcasting Indira Gandhi.