Section 12: Suspension or Cancellation of certificate of registration.

¹[12. Suspension or cancellation of certificate of registration.--(1) The Press Registrar may, by order, suspend the certificate of registration of a newspaper for a period not exceeding one year, if--

(a) the publisher has failed to publish the newspaper continuously.

Explanation.--For the removal of doubts, it is hereby clarified that if a newspaper publishes less than half of its issues, as are required to be published under rule (6) of section 5, such newspaper shall be deemed to have failed to publish continuously; or

(b) the publisher of a newspaper has given false particulars in the annual statement; or

(c) the publisher of a newspaper has failed to furnish the annual statement within two years from the end of the financial year for which the annual statement was to be furnished.

(2) The Press Registrar may, by order, cancel the certificate of registration where--

(i) a newspaper has ceased publication for a period exceeding twenty-four months;

(ii) the publisher of a newspaper fails to furnish the annual statement even after the expiry of the period during which the certificate of registration was suspended under clause (c) of sub-section (1);

(iii) the registration was obtained on false representation or on concealment of any material fact;

(iv) the title of the newspaper bears the same or similar title already held by any other owner of a newspaper either in the same language anywhere in India or in any other language in the same State or Union territory.

(3) No order for suspension or cancellation of certificate of registration shall be made under this section, without giving a reasonable opportunity of being heard to the publisher or owner of the newspaper, as the case may be.

(4) A copy of order of suspension or cancellation passed under this section shall be made available to the Central Government or the State Government or the Union territory administration, as the case may be, and to the Magistrate.]