New draft rules allow audit of newspaper premises, with conditions

The Press Registrar can carry out a physical inspection of the business premises of a periodical if the publisher fails to furnish an annual statement regularly or if a desk audit recommends such action due to ”exceptional circumstances”, according to the draft Press and Registration of Periodicals Rules 2024.

The ministry of information and broadcasting on Friday sought comments from the public on the draft rules to implement the recently enacted Press and Periodicals Registration Act 2023.

The physical inspection of documents and other information and records at the business premises of the publisher and the printing press may be carried out only if the publisher is not furnishing the annual statement regularly as per the rules if a desk audit recommends such action due to "exceptional circumstances", or if the Press Registrar deems such action necessary after information, reference or complaint against a periodical.

The Press Registrar also has to record his recommendation for a physical inspection in writing if such verification is necessary having regard to any information, reference or complaint received by it against a periodical, the draft rules said.

According to the draft rules, the Press Registrar General may verify the circulation of a periodical if a daily newspaper having an average circulation of 25,000 copies or more each day, is empanelled or intends to get empanelled with the Central Bureau of Communication for getting advertisements from the central government.

The verification can also be carried out of any other periodical against which a reference or complaint has been received by the Press Registrar General.

The initial verification has to be a desk audit of the information furnished and carried out in a faceless manner with no physical interface between the publisher and the officer.

The verification has to be a desk audit of the information furnished by the publisher in the latest annual statement and determine the circulation figure.

The rules also permit the Press Registrar or the officer authorised by him to "call through electronic mode" for information or documents as may be considered necessary from the publisher which shall be provided electronically.

The rules make it clear that the desk audit shall be undertaken in a faceless manner with no physical interface between the publisher and the officers authorised for the purpose.

The publisher may have to upload an electronic version of a newspaper within 48 hours of publication on the Press Sewa Portal.

The publisher will also have to deliver physical copies of newspapers by the fifth of every month for all the days for which the newspaper is published during the preceding month, the draft rules state.