An application for title verification shall be submitted before the concerned district magistrate. The application shall contain the name of the newspaper, the name of the owner, the language of circulation, and the proposed area of publication. The district magistrate verifies these details and accordingly, gives his approval. Thereafter, the application will be forwarded to the RNI. Subsequently, a letter of title verification is issued by the RNI to notify the District Magistrate and the applicant about the title availability. A declaration is required to be filed by the applicant before the District Magistrate to begin publishing the newspaper.

An alternate form of RNI verification is through the official website of RNI, wherein the owner can apply for verification of the title via the e-form provided on the website.[4]

 

• Steps of e-filing[5]

• Log onto RNI official website rni.nic.in

• Read the guidelines for title verification under “RNI Guidelines” thoroughly.

• Click on the link Online Title Application on the homepage of the website and read the instructions for filling out online applications and proceed to apply.

• Fill in all the mandatory fields (Functional mobile number and e-mail id should be provided during filling of application).

• Submit the application and take a printout of the duly filled-in application. the print code generated, for reprinting the application if necessary.

• Submit the application to the forwarding authority concerned i.e., DM/ DC/ SDM/DCP/JCP/CMM. The DCP will be the sole forwarding authority in the Delhi region.

• The application will be forwarded to RNI by the authority concerned with the proper name, signature and stamp of the concerned authority. RNI will process the application after receiving the printed copy duly sent by the competent authority. The applicant is advised to keep a copy of the application duly signed and sent by the authority to the RNI for future reference.

• Once RNI has received the printed copy of the application sent by the appropriate authority, the applicant will be notified of the receipt of the application by an RNI reference number (application number) sent to their mobile phone number and electronic email.

• The applicant should save the RNI reference number for any future inquiry.

• The applicant can check the status of the application on the RNI website by either providing the DM number provided by the concerned authority or the RNI reference number.

• The applicant can also download the title verification letter/title non-approval letter/disagreement Letter from the RNI official website.

• Once the title is verified, the applicant must register the title within one year from the verification date to avoid cancellation of the title.

• The ownership of the title cannot be transferred before registration.

 

Authentication of Declaration

After attaining the title confirmation letter from the RNI, it should be displayed to the authorities concerned, i.e., DM/DC/SDM/DCP/JCP/CMM, along with a detailed declaration containing all the credentials and information (“Form-I”) for verification. In the event, that the publisher and printer are different entities, companies or organizations, separate affirmations from both the publisher and printer are required. In the event that the place of publication and printing press are in different areas, separate affirmed declarations are required from both the District Magistrates. The publisher can file the declaration from the place of distribution, and the printer can file it from the place of the printing press.

 

Publication of the First Issue

According to Section 5 of the Press and Registration of Books Act of 1867, the primary issue should be brought within six (6) weeks of confirmation of declaration, whether the periodicity is day by day or week by week. In the event that the periodicity is fortnightly or over, the primary issue ought to be brought out within three (3) months of the confirmation of the declaration. [6]

In the event that, the place of publication and printing press are in several areas, then the date of authentication of place of publication affirmation filed by the publisher will be considered for calculating six (6) weeks or three (3) months for the beginning of the primary issue. In case of a delay in the publication of the primary issue, a revised affirmation is to be filed before the authority concerned i.e., DM/DC/SDM/DCP/JCP/CMM.

The publication shall be printed in the press as mentioned in the declaration and shall contain the specified news, views, and articles. In case of bilingual or multilingual publications, news, views, and articles, they shall be released in the languages mentioned in the application filed before the District Magistrate.

• List of documents required for the final registration[7]

• A copy of the title verification letter issued by the Registrar of Newspapers of India.

• A copy of the Declaration (Form-1) filed by the Publisher and duly approved by DM/DC/SDM/JCP/CMM.

• In case the owner of the periodical and the owner of the printing press are not the same, the written agreement must bear both the owners’ signatures.

• While submitting the first issue, i.e., volume 1, issue 1, the following conditions shall be met;

• The first issue of the periodical must be published within Forty-Two (42) days of the date of approval of declaration.

• Volume 1 and Issue 1 must be clearly printed on the cover page of the first issue.

• Page numbers and full date of its publication should be mentioned.

• Uniform font/letter size shall be followed while presenting the title or the masthead and should not exceed 25%.

• The published newspaper/periodical must include opinions, comments or public news.

• The newspaper/periodical must only be published in the languages approved by RNI.

• Using any kind of symbols, graphics and emoticons in place of a syllable or letter in the title is prohibited. The imprint line in every copy must contain the correct and detailed information.

In the event that the person printer or publisher making a declaration is not the owner thereof, the owner (s), authorising individual (by name), shall provide a written and signed copy of the Printer agreement authorization to make and subscribe declaration as publisher/printer. 

Certificate of Registration

Rule 10 of The Registration of Newspaper (Central) Rules, 1956 states that the Press Registrar may issue a Certificate of Registration[8] once:

• The Magistrate issues a copy of the declaration, and
• The periodical’s first issue is released.

Formalities Required after Registration under RNI

The copy of the newspaper shall be delivered to the RNI, whenever the first issue is printed. The first issue after the last day of February shall contain a statement regarding ownership and other details of the newspaper duly filled in Form No. IV (Statement regarding ownership and other details of the newspaper) and also mandatorily submit an annual statement in Form II – on or before the last day of May of every annual year.[9]

Requirement of a Fresh Declaration under RNI

The publisher/printer has to make fresh declarations whenever there is a change of publisher, printer, owners, periodicity or printing press.[10]

Newspaper business demands more efforts and vigilance than any other business, especially when it comes to compliance and overall management of the everyday operations of the printing process.  After all, every word published and printed has immense significance that empowers one to truly voice their opinions, while creating impact in our democracy.