Press Enquiry Committee (1947) Repeal of the Indian States Protection Acts: Aimed
In 1947, the Press Enquiry Committee was formed to reassess at promoting democratic freedoms in princely states.
press laws in light of India’s transition to independence and Other Legislative Developments: Over time, additional acts
the principles enshrined in the Indian Constitution. further shaped the regulatory environment of the Indian press,
including:
Key Recommendations
● The Press (Objectionable Matters) Act, 1951
Repeal of the Indian Emergency Powers Act, 1931:
Abolishing laws used to suppress political movements ● Press Commission, 1952
and dissent. ● The Delivery of Books and Newspapers (Public Libraries)
Amendments to the Press and Registration of
Act, 1954
Books Act: To align with democratic principles and ● The Working Journalists (Conditions of Service) and
promote press freedom. Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1955
Changes to IPC Sections 124-A and 153-A: To ● The Newspaper (Price and Page) Act, 1956
protect free expression and prevent misuse against ● The Parliamentary Proceedings (Protection of
dissent. Publications) Act, 1960
Newspapers and Journals
Newspaper/Founder Description
Bengal Gazette, also known as Original Place of Publication - Calcutta. Spread - Bengal, Bihar and Orissa.
Calcutta General Advertiser (1780) The first newspaper published in India in English. It was known for its
James Augustus Hickey provocative journalism and outspoken criticism of the British East India
Company.
Madras Courier (1784/85) Place of Publication - Madras. It was the first newspaper to be published
Richard Johnston from Madras.
India Gazette (1787) Place of Publication - Calcutta
Henry Louis Vivian Derozio
Bombay Herald (1789) Place of Publication-Bombay. It was the first newspaper to be published from
Bombay. In English, it came with the title Indian Herald.
Bengal Gazette (1818) Place of Publication- Calcutta. It was the first Bengali newspaper.
Harish Chandra Ray
Sambad Kaumudi (1821) Place of Publication - Calcutta. Spread - Bengal and Bihar.
Raja Ram Mohan Roy A Bengali weekly newspaper that promoted social and religious reform. It
played a significant role in the development of Bengali journalism and the
Indian freedom struggle.
Mirat-ul-Akbar (1822) Place of Publication - Calcutta. Spread - Bengal and Bihar.
Raja Ram Mohan Roy It was the first Persian language journal that discussed current events and
social issues.
Jam-i-Jahan Numah (1822) Place of Publication - Calcutta.
It was the first Urdu language paper.
It was run by an English Firm.
Banga-Duta (1822) Place of Publication - Calcutta.
Raja Ram Mohan Roy and Dwarkanath It was a weekly, published in 4 different languages i.e., English, Bengali,
Tagore Persian and Hindi.
Bombay Samachar (1822) Place of Publication - Bombay.
Fardunjee Marzban It was the first newspaper in Gujarati.
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Bangadarshan(1873) Place of Publication - Calcutta
Bankim Chandra Chatterji In Bengali Language
Bombay Times (1838) Place of Publication - Bombay.
Thomas Bennett. It later, from 1861, came to be known as Times of India and is published
till date. Founded by Robert Knight but actual publication started by
Thomas Bennett.
Hindu Patriot (1853) Place of Publication - Calcutta
Girishchandra Ghosh Later, Harishchandra Mukherji became owner-cum-editor.
Rast Goftar (1851) Place of Publication - Bombay. Spread - Bombay, Gujarat, and Sindh.
Dadabhai Naoroji A Gujarati fortnightly newspaper that advocated for Indian economic and
political rights. Naoroji used the newspaper to educate Indians about their
rights and to mobilise them against British rule.
Voice of India (1883) Place of Publication - Bombay
Dadabhai Naoroji It was later incorporated into the Indian Spectator
East Indian (19th Century) It was a daily newspaper.
Henry Louis Vivian Derozio
Som Prakash (1858) Place of Publication - Calcutta. Spread - Bengal and Bihar.
Dwarkanath VidyaBhushan A Bengali weekly newspaper that promoted social, political and educational
reforms. It was used to advocate for women’s rights, education, and widow
remarriage.
Indian Mirror (1862) Place of Publication - Calcutta. Spread - Bengal and Bihar
Devendra Nath Tagore and Man Mohan It was an English, fortnightly newspaper that advocated for Indian self-rule,
Ghosh while criticising the British colonial rule and its policies.
The Bengalee (1862) Place of Publication - Calcutta. Spread - Bengal and Bihar.
Started by Girish Chandra Ghosh and later It was known for its critical stance against the British colonial government.
taken over by Surendranath Banerjee It published articles on the economic exploitation of India, the political
repression of Indians, and the social evils of British rule.
The Pioneer (1865) Place of Publication - Allahabad
George Allen Spread - United Provinces
National Paper (1865) Place of Publication - Calcutta
Devendranath Tagore
Amrita Bazar Patrika (1868) Place of Publication - Calcutta. Spread - Bengal and Bihar
Sisir Kumar ghosh and Motilal Ghosh It was Bengali in the beginning, however later it became English. It became
a leading voice for bengali middle class
Tahzib-ul-Akhlaq (1871) Place of Publication - Aligarh. Spread - North India.
Sir Syed Ahmed Khan An Urdu language journal that advocated for women’s education, reform in
Muslim family law, and the modernization of Muslim society.
Indian Statesman (1875) Place of Publication - Calcutta
Robert Knight It was later renamed as The Statesman
The Hindu (1878) Place of Publication - Madras. Spread - Madras and Mysore.
G.S. Iyer, Vir Raghavacharya and Subba It was initially a weekly newspaper; known for its moderate political view.
Rao Pandit
Swadeshamitran (1882) Place of Publication - Madras
G. Subramaniya Iyer One of the earliest Tamil newspapers and the longest in print.
The Advocate (1878) Place of Publication - Lucknow
G.P. Verma Spread - United Provinces
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Newspaper/Founder Description
Kesari (1881) Place of Publication - Poona. Spread - Bombay and Central India.
Bal Gangadhar Tilak A Marathi daily newspaper that advocated for Indian self-rule.
Mahratta (1881): An English weekly
The Tribune (1881) Place of Publication - Lahore. Spread - Punjab and North India.
Dayal Singh Majeetia It was a daily newspaper
Arya Gazette (1882) Place of Publication - Lahore. Spread - Punjab and North India.
Pandit Dayanand Saraswati It was published in both English and Hindi, and it promoted the ideals
of the Arya Samaj, such as social reform, religious education, and Hindu
unity.
Akhbar-i-Am (1886) Place of Publication - Lahore
Maulavi Zakaullah Spread - Punjab and North India
Gaujrat and the Gujratis (1882) Place of Publication - Bombay
Behramji Malabari Spread - Bombay and Gujarat
Paridasak (1886) It was a weekly
Bipin Chandra Pal (publisher)
Sudharak (1888) Place of Publication - Poona. Spread - Bombay and Central India.
Gopal Krishna Agarkar A Marathi language newspaper that promoted social reform.
Hitavada (1911) Place of Publication - Nagpur. Spread - central India
GK Gokhale It was published in both English and Marathi. It advocated for social
reform and economic development
Indu Prakash(1888) Place of Publication - Poona
Gopalhari Deshmukh Spread - Bombay and Central India
The Leader (1907) Place of Publication - Allahabad
Madan Mohan Malviya Spread - United Provinces
Prabuddha Bharat (1896) Place of Publication - Calcutta
P. Aiyasami, B. R. Rajam Iyer, G. G. Spread - India and the world
Narasimhacharya, and B. V. Kamesvara Iyer An English language monthly journal that promoted Hindu philosophy and
at the behest of Swami Vivekananda culture.
Udbodhana (1899) Place of Publication - Calcutta
Swami Vivekanada Spread - India and the world
Indian Opinion (1903) Place of Publication - Durban, South Africa. Spread - South Africa and India.
M.K Gandhi A weekly newspaper that advocated for rights of Indian immigrants.
Young India (1919) Place of Publication - Ahmedabad. Spread - Bombay Presidency.
M.K Gandhi A weekly journal that promoted Gandhi’s philosophy of non-violence and
civil disobedience
Nav Jeevan (1929) Place of Publication - Ahmedabad. Spread - Bombay.
M.K Gandhi A Gujarati language weekly that promoted social reforms and Gandhi’s
philosophy.
Harijan (1932) Place of Publication - Ahmedabad. Spread - Bombay.
M.K Gandhi An English and Hindi weekly journal that advocated for the rights of
Dalits.
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Sandhya (1906) Place of Publication-Bengal
Brahmabandhab Upadhyay
Kal (1906) Place of Publication- Maharashtra
Shivram Mahadev Paranjape Spread - Bombay and Central India
The Mussalman (1906) Place of Publication - Calcutta
Zafar Ali Khan Spread - Bengal and Bihar
Yugantar (1906) Place of Publication - Bengal.
Barindra Kumar Ghosh and Bhupendra It was a political weekly that served as the propaganda organ for
Dutta revolutionary organisation Anushilan Samiti It expounded and justified
revolutionary violence against British Raj as a political tool for
independence.
The Karmayogi (1909) Place of Publication - Puducherry
Aurobindo Ghosh Spread - India and the world. It was published in English
Kudi Arasu (1910) In Tamil language
E.V. Ramaswamy Naicker (Periyar)
Comrade (1911) Place of Publication - Calcutta. Spread - Bengal and Bihar.
Maulana Mohammad Ali An English language weekly that advocated for Indian self-rule and
Muslim rights.
Al-Balagh (1912) Place of Publication - Calcutta
Abul Kalam Azad Spread - Bengal and Bihar.
An Urdu weekly that supported Indian self-rule and Muslim rights
The Azad (1912) Place of Publication - Calcutta
Abul Kalam Azad Spread - Bengal and Bihar. Published in Urdu
Al-Hilal (1912) Place of Publication - Calcutta
Abul Kalam Azad Spread - Bengal and Bihar.
An Urdu weekly newspaper that promoted Islamic thoughts and c ulture
Pratap (1913) Place of Publication - Kanpur
Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi Spread - United Provinces
Bombay Chronicle (1913) Place of Publication - Bombay
It was started by Firoze Shah Mehta and Spread - Bombay and Gujarat
was edited by B. G. Horniman It was a daily newspaper
New India (1914) Place of Publication - Madras
Annie Besant Spread - Madras and Mysore
Independent (1919) Place of Publication - Allahabad
Motilal Nehru Spread - United Provinces
Hindustan Times (1920) Place of Publication - Delhi
Sunder Singh Lyallpuri Later edited by K Spread - All India.
M Panikkar An English language daily newspaper, it was used as part of the Akali Dal
Movement
Mook Nayak (1920) Place of Publication - Bombay
B.R Ambedkar Spread - Bombay. A Marathi language weekly that advocated for rights of Dalits
Bahishkrit Bharat (1927) A Marathi fortnightly
B.R. Ambedkar
The Swarajya (1921) Place of Publication - Madras
C. Rajagopalachari Spread - Madras and Mysore. Published in English
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The Milap (1923) Place of Publication - Lahore
M K Chand
Kranti (1927) Place of Publication - Maharashtra
S.S. Mirajkar, K.N. Joglekar, S.V. Ghate
Langal and Ganabani (1927) Place of Publication - Bengal
Gopu Chakravarti and Dharani Goswami
The Forward (1933) Place of Publication - Bombay
C.P. Ramaswamy Iyer Spread in Bombay and Gujarat
Free Hindustan (1936) Place of Publication - Canada and USA.
Tarak Nath Das Spread in India and the world. An English language journal that advocated
for self-rule and international cooperation.
Hindustan Dainik (1936) Place of Publication - Lucknow.
Madan Mohan Malaviya Spread in the United Provinces. A hindi language daily newspaper that
advocated for Hindu nationalism.
Bandi Jivan Place of Publication - Bengal
Sachindranath Sanyal
National Herald (1938) Established in Lucknow.
Jawaharlal Nehru It was founded as a tool to win independence. It was banned by the British
government in 1942 during the Quit India movement till 1945.
Indian Sociologist Place of Publication - London
Shyamji Krishnavarma
Bande Mataram Place of Publication - Paris
Madam Bikaji Cama
Talvar Place of Publication - Berlin
Virendranath Chattopadhyaya
Ghadar Place of Publication - San Francisco.
Lala Hardayal The Ghadar Party put out this weekly, meaning revolt, using a small
hand press.It first came out in Urdu, then Gurumukhi. Later it was also
published in Gujarati, Hindi, English, German etc.
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