Allow Cookies!
By using our website, you agree to the use of cookies
There cannot be a “blanket ban” over reporting of cases of rapes and sexual abuse by the media, said the Supreme Court on Thursday while lifting the ban, ordered by the Patna High Court, restricting the media from reporting the happenings of the Muzaffarpur shelter home case.The bench, compromising of Justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta, requested both the print and electronic media to not sensationalize such events and report them responsibly as to not reveal the identity of any victim and issued notices to the Press Council of India, Editors Guild of India, News Broadcasting Standards Authority and News Broadcasters Association seeking their assistance in the matter. The bench also restricted the electronic media from telecasting or showing the victims of sexual abuse and violence, even in a blurred or morphed form, in order to protect the interest of the victims.
The bench also observed that due to the lack of mechanism for enforcement and implementation of statutory provisions and guidelines, including journalism ethics, such guidelines were being violated which made it possible for some person to get wrongly framed by the media of their involvement in this case, as the media was conducting “parallel investigations and trials.”
Senior advocate ShekharNaphade shed light on Section 228A of the Indian Penal Code, which deals with disclosure of identity of such victims and said that media was taking an indirect route, like interviewing the relatives of the victim, to do this. Naphade also referred to the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act and said that disclosure of a victim’s identity is a ‘non-cognizable’ offence and the Apex Court should direct the police chiefs of all the state to nominate an officer to file complaints in this regard. Lastly, Naphade also referred to the collapse of the Broadcasting Services Regulation Bill, 2006.
The bench asked its registry to issue notices to the Editors’ Guild of India, PCI, News Broadcasters Association and News Broadcasting Standards Authority to assist the court and posted the matter for hearing after two weeks.
86540
103860
630
114
59824