Justice B.V. Nagarathna Flags ‘Economic Constraints’ on Press Freedom

Supreme Court Justice B.V. Nagarathna said press freedom in India may be legally guaranteed but can be economically constrained in subtle ways.

Speaking at the IPI India Award event in Delhi, she warned that the gravest threats to media independence may not stem from direct censorship under Article 19(2), but from economic regulations under Article 19(6).

She noted that ownership rules, licensing laws, advertising policies, taxation and antitrust regulations can indirectly influence editorial choices.

A media house may be legally free to criticise the government, she said, yet financially pressured in ways that make such criticism costly or unsustainable.