Press Council of India (PCI) is a statutory and quasi-judicial body in India, re-established in 1979 by the Press Council Act, 1978. Its objective is "preserving the freedom of the press by maintaining and improving the standards of newspapers and the news agencies" in India. It was initially set up in 1966 under the Indian Press Council Act, 1965. However, the Act was repealed in 1975 and PCI was abolished during the Emergency.[1][2]
The council has a chairman – traditionally, a retired Supreme Court judge, and 28 additional members of which 20 are members of media, nominated by the newspapers, television channels and other media outlets operating in India.[3][4] In the 28 member council, 5 are members of the lower house (Lok Sabha) and upper house (Rajya Sabha) of the Indian parliament and three represent culture literary and legal field as nominees of Sahitya Academy, University Grant Commission and Bar Council of India .[1]
Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai is chairman of the council as of 2022[update].[5] The predecessor was Justice Chandramauli Kumar Prasad (2014 – 2022).[6]