MUMBAI: The Union government told the Bombay High Court on Wednesday that it did not support the media trials, but that statutory and self-regulatory guidelines already exist for print and electronic media.
He also said that the Supreme Court had accepted the role of the National Association of Broadcasters, a private body, as the regulatory authority for television news channels, and the CS has also held that freedom of the media should not be interfered with. communication.
The HC had previously asked if there is any legal mechanism to regulate content transmitted electronically.
A bench of the Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Judge GS Kulkarni was listening to a group of PIL who wanted the media, in particular the news channels, to be directed to be moderate in their reporting on the death of the actor. Sushant Singh Rajput.
The petitioners, among whom were some former senior police officers, stated that the news channels were conducting a means test in the case presuming the guilt of the accused.
On Wednesday, Additional Attorney General Anil Singh, who ran for Union government, said that while statutory guidelines for television news content already existed, it might be necessary to see if anything was missing from these guidelines.
“We do not seek to justify the judgment of the media. All the courts have condemned the judgment of the media. We accept that position,” said ASG Singh.
“There is a legal framework that covers electronic media. News stations also have self-regulatory guidelines … In addition, the SC was informed about the NBA model that was accepted. They accepted that the media should not be interfered with,” Singh said. .
He also referred to the CS ruling in the Sahara case, in which he argued that it was a fundamental paradigm of freedom of expression that the media should be free from government control over “content” and that censorship and freedom of speech were “sworn enemies.” .
HC will continue to listen to the government’s arguments in the case on Friday.
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