Toolbox: Activist Disha Ravi was arrested last week at her home in Bengaluru. (Archive)
New Delhi:
One day after three news channels received a tip about activist Disha Ravi’s petition, linked to coverage of her arrest in a case involving the farmers’ protest toolkit shared by Swedish teenage climate crusade Greta Thunberg earlier this month, the Delhi High Court today made remarks about “sensationalism” in the reports.
The High Court asked the Delhi police to stand firm that they had not leaked details, while reporters were asked to ensure that the “investigation is not hampered”. At the same time, Ms. Ravi, 22, has been “ordered to ensure that there is no leniency to defame the police and other authorities.”
In her petition, the activist had sought action against three news channels, News 18, India Today and Times Now, for publishing content from her alleged private chats, thus violating the rules of the cable television network.
“While a journalist cannot be asked to reveal his source, it has to be authentic. The Delhi police claim they have not leaked anything, while the media claim otherwise,” the court observed today.
“Half-speculative information about an ongoing investigation was being disseminated,” lawyer Akhil Sibal, who appeared on behalf of the environmental activist, told the court, even as Delhi police said no private conversations were leaked.
“The right to privacy, sovereignty and integrity of the country and freedom of expression must be balanced. Recent coverage definitely shows that there are sensational reports from the media. While press conferences are generally held, the media Communication agencies cannot disseminate information in a sensational way, “said the Superior Court.
News channels have been told to “ensure that adequate editorial control is exercised while information is disseminated to ensure that the investigation is not impeded.”
“It would take time for all respondents to submit detailed responses,” the court said.
Ms. Ravi had caused the High Court to request instructions from the police not to leak investigative material, including the alleged content of her private conversations, to the media. The 22-year-old had also said that the police “did not obtain any preventive traffic detention, nor did they allow the petitioner to consult with a lawyer.”
“Surprisingly, there was significant media coverage of the petitioner’s pretrial detention hearing and the media seemed to have more knowledge of the time and place of the petitioner’s production than her lawyers,” says her petition.
Additional Attorney General (ASG) Suryaprakash V Raju said today that Ms. Ravi was “defaming and vilifying the police to pressure” the police, and emphasized that the petition “is a systematic attempt to blame the police and derail the research”.
“The police or any other agency cannot use the media until the investigation is pending to subvert the justice process, as this would weaken the presumption of innocence in favor of the accused,” Sibal replied.
Ms Ravi’s arrest had sparked widespread condemnation from opposition leaders and farmers who have been agitating against three new farm laws near Delhi’s borders since late November.
She and two other activists, Nikita Jacob and Shantanu Muluk, held a Zoom meeting before Republic Day to plan a social media buzz about the tractor rally, which turned into violence, police said earlier this week. week.
On Sunday, the police alleged that Disha Ravi was a key conspirator and, in an attempt to revive a Khalistani group, prepared and disseminated the Toolkit. “I did not make the Toolkit. We wanted to support farmers. I edited two lines on February 3,” Disha Ravi told a Delhi court.
“Disha Ravi has been detained after following all due process. Whether someone is 22 or 50, the law treats everyone equally. The court agreed with the decision to arrest her … and therefore , they gave us remand for five days, “Delhi Police Commissioner SN Shrivastava told reporters on Tuesday amid outrage.
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