EXPRESS NEWSPAPERS (PRIVATE) LTD.,AND ANOTHER vs THE UNION OF INDIA AND OTHERS(and connected petitions and

The Supreme Court upheld the constitutional validity of the Working Journalists (Conditions of Service) and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1955, except for Section 5(1)(a)(iii), which was declared ultra vires as it violated Article 19(1)(g) of the Constitution. The Court emphasized that the Wage Board must consider the newspaper industry's capacity to pay when fixing wages under Section 9(1), and since it failed to do so, its decision was rendered void. The judgment reinforced that freedom of the press is integral to the freedom of speech and expression guaranteed by Article 19(1)(a).