October 21, 2020 7:15:32 pm
The Bombay High Court asked Republic TV lawyer Malvika Trivedi why Republic TV was broadcasting photos of the body, and speculated whether the actor’s death was a suicide or manslaughter case.
On Wednesday, the Mumbai High Court asked Republic TV if it was asking viewers who should be arrested in a case in which an investigation was underway and if he was infringing on the rights of a person classified as “investigative journalism.” . The court also asked the News Broadcasting Federation (NBF) why a suo motu action cannot be brought for “irresponsible coverage” of sensitive criminal matters and media trials in the death case of Sushant Singh Rajput.
A divisional court of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Judge Girish S Kulkarni was hearing public interest litigation (PIL) from eight former high-ranking Maharashtra police officers, as well as activists, lawyers, and NGOs seeking restraining orders. against the “judgment of the media” in the case of the actor’s death.
The various news channels informed the court of the petitioners ‘allegations that the information about the case was not intended to influence or harm the mind of the court and the petitioners’ allegations were unfounded.
Republic TV defender Malvika Trivedi refuted the petitioner’s claims that the channel had tried to smear the name of the Mumbai police by accusing it of failing to carry out an investigation in the case.
“There were some loopholes in the Mumbai police investigation that the Supreme Court observed and therefore allowed the investigation to be turned over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI),” Trivedi said. He added that the “investigation transfer request was made by the actor’s family and since the celebrity died, the public was also curious to know the real facts.”
Trivedi maintained that the investigative journalism to discover facts related to the death case was carried out by the news channel.
The court referred to complaints raised by petitioners over the channel’s hashtags and social media posts seeking the arrest of Rhea Chakraborty, following the Rajput’s death. “Why is it part of the news on your channel? Asking the public for their opinion on who should be arrested. Is this part of investigative journalism? “asked the court.
To this, Trivedi replied: “These are public tweets and public opinions. The petition does not request redress related to this. I’m just saying that there is a reason and a context for which these tweets are there and a person who is aggrieved and has a locus standi, can approach the agency of the self-regulatory mechanism and get relief. “
Subsequently, noting that the court did not point to Republic TV, the court sought to know that when the investigation in the case was initiated on whether it was a homicide or suicide, why the channel had taken a position that it was a murder and if it was part of his investigative journalism.
Trivedi said that in previous cases, including scams, the media had played a vital role in investigations and were appreciated for their contribution based on arrests made.
The court further expressed concern about the coverage of the Sushant Rajput death case, saying: “There are certain guidelines for reporting suicides. There should be no sensational headlines. Have you no respect for the deceased? It is very regrettable, ”the court said.
When Trivedi said that the court cannot say that the media should not come out with the truth, CJ Datta said: “We are not saying that the media should stop criticizing government policies. Our concern is whether or not the program code was followed. If your report violates any of the established standards or not. You must not cross your boundary or Laxman Rekha. “
Previously, the court also heard submissions from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) in which Additional Attorney General Anil Singh presented that the existing self-regulatory mechanism was sufficient and there was no need for additional regulations.
ASG said that the ministry has established a Program Code, which must be complied with by electronic news channels and also includes restrictions, which must be followed by all channels, regardless of whether they are part of any self-regulatory organization or not.
The bank will continue the hearing on PIL on Friday.
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