@article{2015::developmen,
title = {Development of the Western Concept of Press Freedom in South Asia under the British Raj and Aftermath: A Comparative Contextualisation with Special Reference to Bangladesh},
year = {2015},
note = {The classical liberal political philosophy that began to emerge in the
17th century came to have worldwide influence on the development of
the concept of a free press. England, being the principal source of
this political philosophy, then adhered to the ‘libertarian
theory’ denoting the absence of state control in the operation of
the press. The concept of press freedom in a modern sense could thus
be said to have originated in England, the press being transferred
from the authoritarian to libertarian principles. Unfortunately, the
Indian sub-continent by then had come under British colonial
administration, and as a colony, it was outside the ambit of such
liberalising transition. Rather, discretionary decision-making in
implementing ‘authoritarian theory’ by the colonial administration
introduced a range of laws to consolidate control over the press. Even
after the partition of British India in 1947, successive Pakistani
governments perpetuated the ‘authoritarian theory’ keeping those
laws in place. In 1971, Bangladesh emerged as a sovereign state, but
all the earlier British-made press laws remained intact. This article
aims to investigate the conceptual basis of the right to press freedom
in South Asia and proceeds with its historical development through
comparative contextualisation.},
journal = {VRÜ Verfassung und Recht in Übersee},
pages = {124--143},
author = {},
volume = {48},
number = {2}
}