Pankaj Sekhsaria and Rohini Krishnamurthy received the Prem Bhatia Award for Excellence in Environmental Journalism 2026, while Akanksha Kumar was honoured with the Prem Bhatia Award for Excellence in Political Journalism 2026.
Sekhsaria was recognised for his investigative and campaigning work on Great Nicobar Island, particularly his reporting on the potential impact of a mega infrastructure project on its forests and the traditional Shompen tribal community.
Krishnamurthy was honoured for investigations into issues including the rapid expansion of data centres, the exploitation of agro-forestry farmers through the carbon credit market and offshore sand mining and its impact on marine ecosystems and local livelihoods. Her work also highlighted positive developments, including large-scale organic farming initiatives in Dantewada, Chhattisgarh, and the potential of energy-saving technologies.
Kumar received the political journalism award for on-the-ground investigations examining the exercise of state power, including police encounters in Uttar Pradesh, the use of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in Haryana and the implementation of anti-conversion laws in Rajasthan.
The awards, instituted in 1995 in memory of veteran journalist and former The Tribune editor Prem Bhatia, recognise excellence in political and environmental journalism. Bhatia was known for his independent judgement, incisive political reporting and commitment to objectivity.
Receiving the environmental journalism award, Sekhsaria said the recognition reaffirmed the importance and fragility of Great Nicobar and other ecologically sensitive regions. Krishnamurthy said the honour carried a responsibility to continue producing journalism that holds governments and businesses accountable.
During the event, Guild President Sanjay Kapoor also spoke about concerns over the credibility of the media.
The evening’s Memorial Lecture was delivered by senior advocate, Rajya Sabha MP and former Union minister Kapil Sibal. Titled “The Two Strongest Pillars of Democracy Are the Press and the Judiciary. Both Have Failed Us. Why?”, the lecture examined the challenges confronting India’s democratic institutions.
Sibal argued that democracy depends not only on elections but also on institutions capable of checking executive power, protecting citizens’ rights and scrutinising those in authority. “The press once punched above its weight,” Sibal said, recalling its role in demanding accountability in earlier decades. He warned that sections of television news had increasingly become amplifiers of official narratives rather than independent watchdogs, contributing to a decline in public trust.
“A free press is not a privilege granted by government; it is a structural necessity for democracy,” he said. Turning to the judiciary, Sibal described it as the final guardian of fundamental rights and said public faith in the institution was eroding. At the same time, he stressed that the judiciary should not be viewed as having failed completely, noting that judges committed to independence and constitutional principles continued to serve on the bench.
Sibal identified four interconnected factors behind what he described as the institutional crisis: concentration of executive authority, the capture of incentives, erosion of professional solidarity and ethical norms, and the normalisation of exceptional measures. Despite his criticism, Sibal ended on a hopeful note, calling on journalists, judges, civil society and citizens to defend institutional independence.
He invoked Prem Bhatia’s legacy, saying the awards honoured those who continued to uphold journalism despite pressure and asking whether society would make their work “less lonely.”
The vote of thanks was delivered by Raghavan Srinivasan, General Secretary of the Editors Guild of India. The Guild has administered the Prem Bhatia Journalism Awards and organised the annual Memorial Lecture since 2025 under an arrangement with the Prem Bhatia Memorial Trust.
