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Home / SPPU / Syllabus / Law / LL.B. (Three Years) / First Year / Semester 2 / Media Laws

LL.B. (Three Years) Media Laws Syllabus - SPPU 2026

Media Laws Syllabus.pdf
Semester 2 · First Year · Generic elective course · 4 credits

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Syllabus for Media Laws

Semester 2 · First Year · Generic elective course · 4 credits

Objectives of the Course

  • Media is a social instrument which provides a platform to the people in the society to freely profess their right to freedom of speech and expression. The significance of media and its freedom can never be over emphasised in a participatory democratic setup like that of India, which regards ‘Media’ as the ‘fourth estate’ of democracy. The prima facie objective of this course is to study and analyse the historical background, present position and future prospects of the various privileges, rights and freedoms guaranteed by the state to media through various laws and judicial interventions.

Module 01: Introduction

  • 1. Introduction to Media and Communication
  • 2. Importance of Media in Democracy
  • 3. Kinds of Media
  • 4. Functions of Media: Information, Surveillance, Service the economic system, hold society together, Entertain, Act as a community forum, Service the political system, etc.

Module 02: History of Press and Theories of Press

  • 1. Historical Foundations of Media Laws in UK, USA and India (Pre and Post-Independence)
  • 2. International Law and Freedom of Media (UDHR, ICCPR, ECOSOC etc.)
  • 3. Theories of Press -
  • a) Authoritarian Theory
  • b) Libertarian Theory
  • c) Communist Theory
  • d) Theory of Social Responsibility
  • e) Development Media Theory
  • f) Democratic Participant Media Theory

Module 03: Constitutional Framework of Freedom of Media in India

  • 1. Free Speech and Constituent Assembly Debates in India
  • 2. Freedom of Speech and Expression in Indian Constitution
  • 3. Facets of Freedom of Speech and Expression
  • a) Freedom of Speech and Expression includes Freedom of Press
  • b) Right to Circulation
  • c) Right to Receive Information
  • d) Right to Advertise
  • e) Right to Telecast / Broadcast
  • f) Censorship
  • 4. Law Commission of India: 101st Report on Freedom of Speech andExpression under Article 19 of the Constitution - an Overview
  • 5. Reasonable Restrictions
  • 6. Legislative Privileges and Media
  • 7. Right to Privacy and Media
  • 8. Freedom of Media during emergency

Module 04: Legal Dimensions of Media

  • 1. Media and Criminal Law (Sedition, Obscenity and Defamation)
  • 2. Media and Law of Torts (Civil Law of Defamation and Negligence)
  • 3. Media and Judiciary (Contempt of Court)
  • 4. Media and Executive - An Overview (The Official Secrets Act, 1923, TheRight to Information Act, 2005)
  • 5. Media and Journalists - an Overview (The Working Journalists (Conditions of Service) Act, 1955)

Module 05: Regulatory Framework of Media

  • 1. Methods of Regulation (Self-Regulation and Statutory Regulation)
  • 2. The Cinematograph Act, 1952
  • 3. The Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1955
  • 4. The Prasar Bharti Act, 1990
  • 5. The Press Council of India Act, 1978
  • 6. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Act, 1997
  • 7. Advertising Standards Council of India and its codes
  • 8. The Indecent Representation of Women Act, 1986
  • 9. Free Speech and Fair Trial under Criminal Procedure Code, 1973: An Overview)
  • a. String Operation and Media
  • b. Broadcasting Rights
  • c. Taxation and Media
  • d. Media and Convergence
  • e. Infringement of Intellectual Property Rights
  • f. Internet and freedom of media
  • g. Violence against Media persons and Law
  • h. Role of media in electoral process (Press Council of India, Report on Paid News, 2010, Ministry of Law and Justice, Report of the Committee on Electoral Reforms, 2010 - an Overview)

Recommended Readings

  • 1. P.M. Bakshi - “Press Law: An Introduction” BTRFI Publications, 1985.
  • 2. D.D. Basu - “Law of the Press”, LexisNexis Butterworth’s Wadhwa, Nagpur.
  • 3. Fred Seaton Siebert, Theodore Peterson and Wilbur Schramm, “Four Theories of Press: The Authoritarian, Libertarian, Social Responsibility, and Soviet Communist Concepts of what the Press should be and Do”, University of Illinois Press, 1963.
  • 4. Madhavi Goradia - Divan - “Facets of Media Law” Eastern Book Company.
  • 5. M.P. Jain “Indian Constitutional Law” LexisNexis, Butterworths, Wadhwa, Nagpur.
  • 6. Ram Jethmalani and D. S. Chopra - “Cases and Material on Media Law”, Thomson Reuters, New Delhi.
  • 7. P.M. Bakshi, “Law of Defamation - Some Aspects”, N.M. Tripathi, Bombay.
  • 8. Ursula Smartt, “Media and Entertainment Law”, Routledge, First Edition.
  • 9. Kiran Prasad, Media Law in India, Kluwer Law International.
  • 10. Vidisha Barua, Press and Media Law Manual, Universal Law Publishing, New Delhi.
  • 11. B. N. Ahuja, “History of Press, Press Laws and Communications”, Surjeet Publications, Delhi.
  • 12. Gokhale, S. D., Sadhu, A., and Kuvalekar, V, (Eds). “Press in India: On the Threshold of21st Century”, Sakal Paper Trust, Pune.
  • 13. M. E. Price (Ed) “Routledge Handbook of Media Law”, Routledge London.

Reproduced from the Savitribai Phule Pune University Revised CBCS Rule and Syllabus for LL.B., the 2023 pattern as amended on 18 July 2024. Wording is as printed in that syllabus. Module numbering is as printed there too.

The complete syllabus

Every subject above is cut from the revised syllabus. Open the document here if you want the whole thing rather than a single subject.

PDF Complete LL.B. syllabus Revised syllabus (CBCS 2023 pattern), as amended on 18 July 2024 Read full PDF Read
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