Hindi English Translation || Editorial || Wrong signal: On MediaOne

Wrong signal: On MediaOne

HC order accepting national security bogey to shut down (बंद करना, संचालन बंद करना) channel is concerning (विषय में, संबंधित)

The Kerala High Court judgment upholding (बनाए रखना, पुष्टि करें, समर्थन करें) the Government’s revoking the broadcasting permission given to Malayalam news channel MediaOne is plainly (स्पष्ट रूप से, साफ़ तौर पर) wrong. The I&B Ministry did not renew the channel’s permission to uplink and downlink signals after the Union Home Ministry declined security clearance (निकासी, स्वीकृति, सहमति). The company and some employees challenged (चुनौती, विरोध करना) the action. The court seems to have endorsed (समर्थन करना, पुष्टि करना) the Government’s stand (position, point of view, standpoint, stance, approach) that it was a national security issue and, therefore, there was no need to observe (अवलोकन करना, पालन करना) the principles of natural justice (प्राकृतिक न्याय, नैसर्गिक न्याय). The Government claimed there were sufficient reasons, even though (भले ही, बावजूद, परवाह किए बिना) they were not disclosed (खुलासा, प्रकट करना, ज्ञात करना). It is unfortunate (दुर्भाग्यपूर्ण, खेदजनक, अनुचित) that the court chose to accept the submission of documents in a sealed cover and agree with the authorities (प्राधिकारी, अधिकारी, सरकार) that there were intelligence (जानकारी, तथ्य, विवरण) inputs that warranted (justify, vindicate, validate) the denial of security clearance, without the petitioners (supplicant, applicant, claimant) being shown the contents. The court’s decision goes against emerging jurisprudence (legal theory or legal system) that any restriction on fundamental rights must not only be reasonable, as permitted in the Constitution, but also withstand (stand firm against, stand up to, grapple with, face, confront) the test of proportionality (the quality of being in relation to severity, quantity, degree, period of something). In this case, broadcasting involves the inter-connected rights concerning (about, regarding, on the subject of, relating to, with regard to, with reference to, with respect to) media freedom, freedom to disseminate information and the freedom to consume (absorb) information. All these fall under (come under; be classified as) the framework (structure, fabric, system) of freedom of speech (the right to express opinions without government interference) and expression. The court seems to have accepted the restriction without examining its reasonableness (fairness, justification) in any way (under any circumstances or conditions). It has negated not only the channel’s right to broadcast (transmit, air, send out, televise, telecast; publicize, publish, make public, make known) but also its viewers’ right to know.

It is astounding (amazing, astonishing, staggering, shocking, surprising) that the court dismissed (reject, deny, disregard) the precedent (example, previous example/instance, prior instance) set in a recent case that national security cannot be used as a pretext (false excuse, ostensible reason, alleged reason) to avoid any judicial examination of restrictions imposed (force, thrust, inflict, urge (an unwelcome decision)) by the state. Raising the spectre (threat, menace, danger/peril) of national security did not give a free pass ((unrestricted) approval; acceptance/approval of bad behaviour) to the Government, the court had noted in the case involving allegations (charge, accusation, indictment) of the use of Pegasus (spyware, that can hack any iOS or Android device and steal a variety of data from the infected device, developed by the Israeli cyber-arms firm, NSO Group), a spyware (a category of software which aims to steal personal or organizational information), against citizens. By claiming that it was in a case that involved the ‘right to privacy (a fundamental right protected under Part III of the Constitution of India)’ and not germane to the MediaOne case, the judge seems to have erred (make a mistake, be wrong, make a blunder, be incorrect, misjudge). The need for circumspection (caution, carefulness, care, wariness) against the bogey of national security being raised to deny or curtail (decrease, lessen, reduce, restrict, limit) fundamental rights is a general principle, and not confined to a particular right. Further, it is plainly unacceptable that the much-derided (much-ridiculed, much-dismissed) form of ‘sealed cover’ justice is being used as an aid to adjudication (arbitration, settlement, resolution, verdict). Even though courts recognise (realize, be aware of, be conscious of, understand) that the scope (extent, range, sweep, purview; jurisdiction, sphere) for judicial review in matters of national security is limited (restricted, controlled, restrained, constrained, confined), any claim that a particular action was based on (use as a basis; found, build, construct, form, establish) that ground (reason, cause, basis, factor) ought to (must, should) be substantiated by the Government, even if it is reluctant to disclose all details. If this practice of using confidential (secret, top secret, sensitive, non-public) intelligence claims to revoke (रद्द करना, उलटना) the permission given to a channel to operate is encouraged, freedom of the media will be in great peril.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.shut down (phrasal verb)

Hindi Meaning - बंद करना, संचालन बंद करना
English Meaning - close, discontinue, cease operation, stop.

2.concerning (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - विषय में, संबंधित
English Meaning - worrying, alarming, worrisome, unsettling.

3.uphold (verb)

Hindi Meaning - बनाए रखना, पुष्टि करें, समर्थन करें
English Meaning - confirm, endorse/approve, vindicate/validate.

4.revoke (verb)

Hindi Meaning - रद्द करना, उलटना
English Meaning - cancel, abolish, invalidate, repeal, reverse, overrule, annul, nullify.

5.plainly (adverb)

Hindi Meaning - स्पष्ट रूप से, साफ़ तौर पर
English Meaning - simply, clearly, visibly, obviously.

6.clearance (noun)

Hindi Meaning - निकासी, स्वीकृति, सहमति
English Meaning - (official) approval, consent, assent.

7.challenge (verb)

Hindi Meaning - चुनौती, विरोध करना
English Meaning - disagree with, object to, dispute, protest against.

8.endorse (verb)

Hindi Meaning - समर्थन करना, पुष्टि करना
English Meaning - uphold, confirm, approve, vindicate, validate.

9.observe (verb)

Hindi Meaning - अवलोकन करना, पालन करना
English Meaning - comply with, abide by, keep, obey, adhere to, conform to.

10.natural justice (noun)

Hindi Meaning - प्राकृतिक न्याय, नैसर्गिक न्याय
English Meaning - the process of acting in good faith without bias and providing a fair hearing.

11.even though (phrase)

Hindi Meaning - भले ही, बावजूद, परवाह किए बिना
English Meaning - notwithstanding, regardless of, despite.

12.disclose (verb)

Hindi Meaning - खुलासा, प्रकट करना, ज्ञात करना
English Meaning - reveal, make known, tell, communicate, pass on.

13.unfortunate (verb)

Hindi Meaning - दुर्भाग्यपूर्ण, खेदजनक, अनुचित
English Meaning - regrettable, inappropriate; unpromising, inauspicious.

14.(the) authorities (noun)

Hindi Meaning - प्राधिकारी, अधिकारी, सरकार
English Meaning - officials, the government, the administration, the establishment, the bureaucracy, the system.

15.intelligence (noun)

Hindi Meaning - जानकारी, तथ्य, विवरण
English Meaning - (military/political) information, facts, details, particulars.

16.bogey (noun)

English Meaning - a source of fear; a source of confusion; bane, anathema, abomination, nightmare, curse, bugbear; spectre, threat, menace.

17.uplink (verb)

English Meaning - to link audio- video signals of a TV channel from a ground station up to a satellite.

18.downlink (verb)

English Meaning - to link audio- video signals of a TV channel from a satellite down to a ground station/receiver.

19.stand (noun)

English Meaning - position, point of view, standpoint, stance, approach.

20.warrant (verb)

English Meaning - justify, vindicate, validate.

21.petitioner (noun)

English Meaning - supplicant, applicant, claimant.

22.go against (phrase)

English Meaning - be contrary to; be opposed to.

23.emerging (adjective)

English Meaning - becoming evident/obvious/noticeable.

24.jurisprudence (noun)

English Meaning - legal theory or legal system.

25.Part III Rights/Fundamental Rights (noun)

English Meaning - The Fundamental Rights, embodied in Part III of the Constitution, guarantee civil rights to all Indians and prevent the State from encroaching an individual’s liberty while simultaneously placing upon it an obligation to protect the citizens’ rights from encroachment by society. Seven fundamental rights were originally provided by the Constitution - the right to equality, right to freedom, right against exploitation, right to freedom of religion, cultural and educational rights, right to property and right to constitutional remedies. However, the right to property was removed from Part III of the Constitution by the 44th Amendment in 1978.

26.withstand (verb)

English Meaning - stand firm against, stand up to, grapple with, face, confront.

27.stand the test of something (phrase)

English Meaning - to continue to be important, respected, etc., for something.

28.proportionality (noun)

English Meaning - the quality of being in relation to severity, quantity, degree, period of something.

29.concerning (preposition)

English Meaning - about, regarding, on the subject of, relating to, with regard to, with reference to, with respect to.

30.disseminate (verb)

English Meaning - spread, circulate, distribute, publicize, communicate, make known.

31.consume (verb)

English Meaning - absorb.

32.fall under (phrase)

English Meaning - come under; be classified as.

33.framework (noun)

English Meaning - structure, fabric, system.

34.freedom of speech (noun)

English Meaning - the right to express opinions without government interference.

35.reasonableness (noun)

English Meaning - fairness, justification.

36.in any way (phrase)

English Meaning - under any circumstances or conditions.

37.negate (verb)

English Meaning - invalidate, nullify, cancel, deny, reject.

38.broadcast (verb)

English Meaning - transmit, air, send out, televise, telecast; publicize, publish, make public, make known.

39.astounding (adjective)

English Meaning - amazing, astonishing, staggering, shocking, surprising.

40.dismiss (verb)

English Meaning - reject, deny, disregard.

41.precedent (noun)

English Meaning - example, previous example/instance, prior instance.

42.pretext (noun)

English Meaning - false excuse, ostensible reason, alleged reason.

43.impose (verb)

English Meaning - force, thrust, inflict, urge (an unwelcome decision).

44.the state (noun)

English Meaning - the government.

45.spectre (noun)

English Meaning - threat, menace, danger/peril.

46.free pass (noun)

English Meaning - (unrestricted) approval; acceptance/approval of bad behaviour.

47.allegation (noun)

English Meaning - charge, accusation, indictment.

48.pegasus (noun)

English Meaning - spyware, that can hack any iOS or Android device and steal a variety of data from the infected device, developed by the Israeli cyber-arms firm, NSO Group.

49.spyware (noun)

English Meaning - a category of software which aims to steal personal or organizational information.

50.right to privacy (noun phrase)

English Meaning - a fundamental right protected under Part III of the Constitution of India.

51.germane (adjective)

English Meaning - relevant, pertinent, applicable.

52.err (verb)

English Meaning - make a mistake, be wrong, make a blunder, be incorrect, misjudge.

53.circumspection (noun)

English Meaning - caution, carefulness, care, wariness.

54.curtail (verb)

English Meaning - decrease, lessen, reduce, restrict, limit.