Synopsis: The plea seeks guidance from the Centre to create laws, regulations or guidelines covering the disclosure or broadcasting of any news relating to criminal investigations.
In the Delhi High Court, a PIL was moved alleging that journalist Arnab Goswami and his channel published “distorted and deceptive evidence” about the death of actor Shushant Singh Rajput, resulting in a breach of actor Rhea Chakraborty’s right to a fair trial.
The petition demanded clarification from the Centre for the establishment of laws, regulations or guidelines regulating the reporting or broadcasting of all news relating to criminal investigations.
On Friday, the petition was placed for hearing before a bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice Prateek Jalan which asked the petitioner to come on the next date, November 27, with his suggestions on the type of rules that can be framed to govern the reporting of criminal probes by the media.
The plea also demanded that criminal proceedings be instituted against Goswami and his channel for the alleged ‘prejudicial reporting’ of the Rajput death case.
The petitioner argues that the journalist and the TV channel are on a “witch hunt” against Chakraborty, Rajput‘s friend, and are acting as a “judge, jury and executioner” to manipulate public opinion against her.
The petitioner has argued that in the ongoing criminal investigation, no investigative agency is investigating any charge of murder. Even the FIR on the complaint received by the father of the deceased (Rajput) reported by the Patna police is for abetment of suicide and other penal provisions. In addition, the cause of death is suicide and not murder, as per the AIIMS report.
It also requested that guidelines should be directed to prohibit the journalist and the channel from “publishing or disseminating any information or news relating to any criminal investigation in the name of investigative journalism and/or information obtained from confidential sources.”