Midram Publication on Tuesday asked the government to drop the case being made against publication of International Herald Tribune from India contending there was no violation of law.
Its editor, M J Akbar, however, said that he would take recourse to the court in case the Centre persisted with the issue.
"When foreign journals like Time or papers like New York Times could be sold freely in India, what is wrong if we publish International Herald Tribune. At least we are taking the responsibility," Akbar told PTI after sending a reply to a government communication that informed his company that 'publication was not permitted.'
In its letter last week, the government had informed Midram Publications that started printing IHT from Hyderabad late last month that the publication was not permissible in terms of "guidelines for syndication arrangements by newspapers under the extant policy of the government pertaining to print media."
Dubbing the guidelines as "wholly arbitrary, malafide, illegal and unconstitutional," Akbar said in his letter to information and broadcasting ministry that the "so called policy referred by you violates our fundamental right guaranteed under Article 19 of the Constitution."
Asked about the government's move to file caveat to pre-empt any move by Midram Publications to prevent government action ex-parte, Akbar said that he had responded to the letter sent by I&B ministry and if the government still sought to stop publication of the paper he would take recourse to law and move the court.
