Sushant Singh Rajput case: Bombay HC questions Republic TV's reportage

The Bombay High Court on Wednesday questined Republic TV if asking viewers who should be arrested in a case that is under investigation and infringing upon a persons rights qualified as investigative journalismA bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice GS Kulkarni was referring to a hashtag campaign and several news reports related to the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput that the channel airedThe court pointed to the channels ArrestRhea hashtag campaign on TwitterIt also asked the channels lawyer Malvika Trivedi why Republic TV aired the photos of the dead body and speculated on whether the actors death was a case of suicide or homicideThe grievance is regarding ArrestRhea Why is this part of your channel news the bench saidWhen a case is under investigation and the issue is whether its a homicide or a suicide and a channel is saying it is murder is all this investigative journalism it askedThe observations came while the bench was hearing the final arguments on a bunch of public interest litigations seeking that the press be restrained in its reportage on actor Sushant Singh Rajputs deathThe pleas had also sought that TV news channels be stopped from conducting a media trial in the caseThe bench had asked all parties to clarify if a statutory mechanism was required to regulate the content broadcast by TV news channelsEarlier this week it had also asked the Union government why guidelines of private bodies such as the News Broadcasting Standards Authority NBSA to regulate the content aired by TV news channels could not be ratified and enforced by the governmentDuring the daylong hearing Additional Solicitor General ASG Anil Singh who appeared for the government said that the Centre was in favour of a selfregulatory mechanism for the print and TV mediaAnil Singh also said that the Union government forwarded the complaints it received against TV channels to the NBSA if those channels were its membersElse it initiated action against them while ensuring that the freedom of the press was not breached It is not that we are not taking action against erring channels and its not like the mechanism is not working Singh saidMaybe one or two channels may not have followed the guidelines properly but by and large all channels have been following them regularly the ASG saidAction has been taken by the Ministry against 214 channels since 2013 for violations under the Programme Code Court he saidThe lawyers for several TV channels that are a party in the case all submitted that the NBSAs code of ethics and guidelines on reportage and the authoritys powers to demand an apology and a maximum fine of Rs 1 lakh on erring member channels were an adequate self regulatory mechanismRepublic TV meanwhile responding to the courts queries said that its reportage on Sushant Rajputs death and the subsequent probe helped unearth several important elements in the caseJournalists have a right to bring public opinion to the forefront and criticise the government It is not necessary that everyone will appreciate what is being projected by news channels However if a news makes a certain section uncomfortable it is the essence of a democracy Republic TVs counsel Malvika Trivedi saidThe court however said that it wasnt asking for the medias throat to he throttled but that the press must recognise its boundariesWe are referring to the basic journalism norms where a basic etiquette has to be maintained for suicide reporting No sensational headlines no constant repeating You did not even leave the deceased forget the witnesses the bench saidYou have depicted a lady in such a way that infringes on her rights This is our prima facie view it saidThe high court will continue the hearing on FridayKeep scrolling to read more newsCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest newsThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever