Dictatorial orders by government could undermine press autonomy: Allahabad High Court

The Allahabad High Court recently cautioned that authorities passing orders in a dictatorial manner could undermine the autonomy of the press..A Bench comprising of Justice Vivek Saran and Justice Ajit Kumar made the observation while hearing a petition filed by Amar Ujala Limited, the publisher of the newspaper Amar Ujala.The petition challenged an October 15, 2025, order passed by the District Magistrate (DM) of Sambhal, which allegedly resulted in the newspaper not receiving government advertisements..The dispute arose from a news report published by Amar Ujala regarding a dispute at a Gurudwara.According to the petitioner, the Divisional Commissioner passed an order on September 16, 2025 after the report was published. The newspaper later issued a corrigendum in its September 18, 2025 edition clarifying the earlier report.Despite this, the petitioner argued, the District Magistrate passed the order under challenge without verifying the clarification. The newspaper contended that the action was discriminatory and beyond the authority of the district administration.In its ruling dated March 25, the High Court stressed that orders passed by authorities should not affect the independence of the fourth estate (media). “Any dictatorial order like the one that has been passed, would certainly be impeaching upon the autonomy of the Fourth (Estate)," it said..The High Court also noted that the controversy about the initial report had largely lost significance since the newspaper had already complied with the Commissioner’s directions by publishing the clarification.“We find it to be quite a trivial issue now at this stage when the Commissioner's directions contained in the order dated 16.9.2025 have got literally complied with in the publication of the News Daily edition of 18.9.2025,” observed the Court.Additionally, it observed that if authorities had grievances against a publisher, there were appropriate legal forums available to pursue action..The State informed the Court that the District Magistrate had already issued a notice to the publisher on December 17, 2025, asking it to submit an explanation regarding the disputed news report.Taking note of this, the High Court directed the petitioner to file a fresh application before the District Magistrate within two weeks, along with a certified copy of the Court’s order..The Court further directed the District Magistrate to pass a reasoned order within one week thereafter, while considering the corrigendum published by the newspaper on September 18, 2025. The petition was accordingly closed..Advocates Rakesh Pande, Sunil Kumar and Hira Lal Yadav appeared for Amar Ujala Limited. Standing Counsel Mukul Tripathi represented the State..[Read Order]