Sushant Singh Rajput's Death Case: Bombay HC Says ‘Media Trial' Impacts Investigation
The Bombay High Court on Monday (January 18) passed its ruling about the impact of the media trial during the investigation of Sushant Singh Rajput's death case
The
Bombay
High
Court
on
Monday
(January
18)
passed
its
ruling
about
the
impact
of
the
media
trial
during
the
investigation
of
Sushant
Singh
Rajput's
death
case.
According
to
the
court,
the
media
trail
in
any
case
violates
program
code
under
the
Cable
TV
Network
Regulation
Act,
and
impacts
the
investigation.
The
court
has
also
ordered
that
electronic
media
needs
to
frame
their
own
guidelines
but
until
then,
the
Press
Council
of
India
(PCI)
guidelines
will
apply
to
electronic
media
along
with
print
media.
Several
pleas
were
filed
seeking
restraining
orders
against
media
trial
in
Sushant
Singh
Rajput's
death
case
by
former
police
officers
from
Maharashtra,
as
well
as
activists,
lawyers
and
NGOs.
Responding
to
the
pleas,
a
bench
comprising
of
Chief
Justice
Dipankar
Datta
and
Justice
Girish
S
Kulkarni,
observed
that
some
reporting
by
news
channels
like
Republic
TV
and
Times
Now
was
"prima
facie
contemptuous".
Commenting
on
the
news
coverage
by
Republic
TV
and
Times
Now,
the
court
remarked,
"Telecast
of
reports/
discussions
/debates/interviews
by
these
TV
channels
on
the
death
of
the
actor
and
events
subsequent
thereto,
is,
prima
facie,
contemptuous
having
ingredients
of
criminal
contempt."
The
court
has
refrained
from
initiating
action
against
them
but
ordered
that
media
should
avoid
putting
photographs
of
victims
and
accused,
as
well
as
reconstructing
the
incident
while
the
investigating
is
still
underway.
The
court
added,
"We
have
issued
guidelines
for
print
and
electronic
media
regarding
reporting
of
cases
of
death
and
suicide
and
made
the
guidelines
by
Press
Council
of
India
applicable
to
electronic
media".
The
court
also
listed
some
guidelines
and
directed
media
houses
to
refrain
from
covering
criminal
casesthat
can
cause
prejudice
in
an
ongoing
inquiry/investigation.
"Referring
to
the
character
of
the
accused/victim
and
creating
an
atmosphere
of
prejudice
for
both;
Holding
interviews
with
the
victim,
the
witnesses
and/or
any
of
their
family
members
and
displaying
it
on
screen;
Analyzing
versions
of
witnesses,
whose
evidence
could
be
vital
at
the
stage
of
trial;
Publishing
a
confession
allegedly
made
to
a
police
officer
by
an
accused
and
trying
to
make
the
public
believe
that
the
same
is
a
piece
of
evidence
which
is
admissible
before
a
Court
and
there
is
no
reason
for
the
Court
not
to
act
upon
it,
without
letting
the
public
know
the
nitty-gritty
of
the
Evidence
Act," a
part
of
the
251-page
judgement
stated,
as
reported
by
The
Hindu.
Notably,
the
petitioners
included
former
DGPs
PS
Pasricha,
K
Subramaniam,
D
Shivanandan,
Sanjeev
Dayal,
Satish
Chandra
Mathur,
and
former
Commissioners
of
Mumbai
Police
Mahesh
N
Singh,
Dhananjay
N
Jadhav
and
former
Anti-Terrorism
Squad
(ATS)
chief
KP
Raghuvanshi.