Now, joint secy Sharma under fire for IHT edition

In an apparent bid to appease the Left, the Government last fortnight had shunted out the press registrar of Registrar Newspapers of India (RNI) for allowing publication of the International Herald Tribune in India. Today, it put Joint Secretary (Planning and Administration) Sudhir Sharma on compulsory wait.

Shifting the blame on the RNI, in the absence of a legislation, the Government tried to mollify the Left, which has been seeking a ban on the publication. As Sharma also heads administration, it was felt, he should have scrutinised the files before the RNI cleared it.

Meanwhile, the International Herald Tribune continues to be published in India, despite three letters from the I&B Ministry, asking the publishers to refrain from printing the paper in India as this violates the 1955 Cabinet decision prohibiting Indian editions of foreign newspapers.

According to sources, publishers Midram say they are well within their rights to publish the paper in India after the RNI cleared the title.