SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather on Wednesday urged the media to ensure accurate, objective and responsible reporting of the proceedings of the House, saying substantive debates and issues of public importance should receive greater prominence than disruptions.
Rather made the remarks while chairing a meeting with representatives of print, electronic and other media organisations ahead of the Autumn Session of the Legislative Assembly, scheduled to begin on September 21.
The meeting was held to seek suggestions from the media fraternity and address issues concerning the smooth and effective coverage of the session.
Addressing the gathering, Rather acknowledged the role of the media in strengthening democratic institutions and facilitating communication between the government, legislature and the public.
He said the media acts as a bridge between the people and the government by disseminating information about welfare schemes and programmes, while also bringing public concerns and grievances to the attention of the authorities.
The Speaker said the responsibility of the media assumes greater significance while covering legislative proceedings, which provide an important forum for deliberation on matters of public interest and accountability.
He called for factual accuracy and the larger public interest to remain the guiding principles of Assembly coverage.
Rather also cautioned against misleading or factually incorrect reporting and urged journalists to maintain the sanctity of legislative proceedings.
He said isolated incidents of disruption or disorder should not overshadow the substantive legislative business, as excessive focus on such incidents could present an incomplete picture of the functioning of the House to the public and newly elected members.
The Speaker called for greater emphasis on the quality of debates, discussions and legislative work, saying legislators who perform well in deliberations should receive more prominence than those who create disturbances.
Responding to observations about the duration of the forthcoming session, Rather presented comparative data on the number of sittings held during Monsoon and Budget sessions in various states and Union Territories.
He said the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly was scheduled to hold seven sittings during the Autumn Session, while several states had conducted fewer sittings during their respective Monsoon sessions.
According to the data shared at the meeting, Uttar Pradesh held four sittings, Delhi three, Rajasthan two, Haryana three, Madhya Pradesh five, Punjab six, Gujarat three, Goa three, Tamil Nadu three, Bihar five, Jharkhand five and Chhattisgarh five sittings during their respective Monsoon sessions.
Rather also referred to a one-day session conducted by the Assam Legislative Assembly in June 2025.
He said the J&K Assembly had held 22 sittings during its Budget Session, which he described as comparatively higher than the number of sittings conducted by several other legislative assemblies during their corresponding sessions.
During the interaction, media representatives raised several issues related to the coverage of Assembly proceedings.
The concerns included timely issuance and regulation of media passes, particularly for accredited journalists, accommodation and working facilities for regional, national and international media, improvement of the sound system inside the Assembly, hassle-free entry of authorised media personnel, adequate Wi-Fi connectivity and parking facilities for media vehicles.
The journalists also stressed the need for appropriate logistical and technical arrangements to enable them to discharge their professional responsibilities effectively during the session.
Responding to the concerns regarding entry and parking, Rather informed the media that the General Administration Department had already issued a notification facilitating the entry of authorised vehicles of accredited media persons into the Civil Secretariat during the Assembly Session.
He said a designated parking area had also been identified for accredited media vehicles.
The Speaker assured the representatives that their suggestions and genuine concerns would be examined in coordination with the concerned authorities and that necessary facilitation would be ensured for smooth coverage of the proceedings.
Secretary, J&K Legislative Assembly, Manoj Kumar Pandit, Secretary Information Department Munir-ul-Islam, Special Secretary Information Department Pawan Singh Rathore, Joint Director Information Kashmir Syed Shahnawaz Bukhari, Deputy Director Information (PR) Javed Ahmad Rather and SSP Security, Civil Secretariat Security, besides representatives of various media organisations, attended the meeting.
