On Monday, the Delhi High Court issued notices to Republic TV and Times Now about a guilty plea filed by Bollywood’s leading filmmakers and producers seeking to prevent them from making or posting allegedly irresponsible, derogatory and defamatory comments against the film industry and the conducting trials in the media against its members on various issues, Bar and bench reported.
The court also asked media channels to ensure that defamatory content is not displayed on their channels or on social media platforms.
Lead attorney Rajiv Nayar, representing the plaintiffs, said that many news programs drew a parallel with the film industry and the drug mafia. “It doesn’t stop here,” he said. “Now they proceed as if we had ties to Pakistan and ISI [Inter-Services Intelligence]. The Honorable Member will see the reports begin with reports on Sushant Singh and move on to links with drug traffickers and Pakistan. “
Nayar argued that the news channels violated the privacy of several Bollywood actors by accessing their WhatsApp chats. The Office of Narcotics Control, one of the central agencies investigating the death of the Sushant Singh Rajput case, had on September 23 subpoenaed actors Deepika Padukone, Sara Ali Khan, Shraddha Kapoor and Rakul Preet Singh based on conversations from Leaked WhatsApp allegedly discussing drugs.
Leading advocate Akhil Sibal, who also represents Bollywood filmmakers and producers, claimed that a section of the media has abandoned journalistic principles. He also spoke about the news broadcast standards authority warning news channels against conducting media lawsuits.
Judge Rajiv Shakdher then asked the lawyers why the people who claim to be wronged have not become plaintiffs in the case. Nayer responded that they can become plaintiffs, adding that they were only seeking a court order in the case and have reserved the right to claim damages.
“… the idea is not to attack the Fourth Estate [Media]Sibal said. “What we call yellow journalism, that strip has become mainstream. So a signal from the court has to come. “
Judge Shakdher noted that courts are generally hesitant to restrict media reporting as it is their constitutional right, but he agreed with lawyers and said he expects fair information.
Lead attorney Sandeep Sethi, representing Times Now, raised questions about upholding the guilty plea as the offenders were not in court. Judge Shakdher, however, asked Sethi to answer more important questions.
“What should be in place to change the way reporting is done?” asked the court. “There has to be some attenuation. There are orders from NBSA. But it seems that the news channels are not following that. As an officer of the court, what is the next step here if you don’t follow self-regulation? “The court also mentioned the case of Diana Spencer, former Princess of Wales, who died because” she was staying away from the media. “
Malavika Trivedi, a representative of Republic TV, noted the critical role that the media have played in several cases, including the case of deaths in custody of Sathankulam. Trivedi was referring to the deaths in custody of a father and son in Tamil Nadu in June, in which they were allegedly tortured by the police for more than seven hours.
The court praised the media for their reporting, but said what is in question is how to report. “There is no courtesy in speech,” he said. The court also selected the news channels for the language used during the television debates. “Now TV participants are using bad language on live TV channels because they get so excited,” he said. “If you keep goading them, that’s what happens.”
Four film industry associations and 34 producers, including The Producers Guild of India, filed a lawsuit on October 12 against Republic TV and the channel’s Arnab Goswami and Pradeep Bhandari, as well as Times Now and its prominent presenters Rahul Shivshankar and Navika Kumar. .
In the lawsuit, the plaintiffs had asked the channels, as well as the social media platforms, “to refrain from making or posting irresponsible, derogatory and defamatory comments about Bollywood and its members.” He noted that both Republic TV and Times Now have used “highly derogatory” words for Bollywood such as “dirt”, “filth”, “scum”, “drug addicts” and expressions such as “this is the dirtiest industry in the country”. and “cocaine and LSD [Lysergic acid diethylamide] Soaked Bollywood ”.
“The plaintiffs are not seeking a blanket gag order against the media reports of the investigation into the cases related to the death of Mr. Sushant Singh Rajput or FIRs No. 15 and 16/2020 filed by the NCB [Narcotics Control Bureau], Mumbai, ”read a press release shared with Scroll.in. “Plaintiffs are simply seeking a mandatory, perpetual court order against Defendants not to report and post material that violates applicable laws.”
The Producers Guild of India has around 130 members, including leading Bollywood studios, broadcasters, and streaming platforms. The list covers practically all the major family-owned posters, private companies and corporate studios in the Hindi film industry.
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