CJI criticises media for coverage on terror attacks
Cautioning media about the ill-effects of unrestrained coverage of terror attacks, Chief Justice of India K G Balakrishnan today said that it can provoke a disproportionate level of anger among people leading to irrational desire for retribution.
Speaking at an International Conference of Jurists on Terrorism here, he said if terrorists attacks were attributed to individuals belonging to a certain ethnic or religious community then it may result in unreasonable discrimination and retaliation against ordinary members of that community.
"We must take note of the fact that the symbolic impact of terrorist attacks on the minds of ordinary citizens has also been considerably amplified by pervasive media coverage.
"The proliferation of 24-hour news channels and the digital medium has ensured that quite often some disturbing images and statements reach a wide audience within a short span of time," he said in his address to the two-day conference which was inaugurated by President Pratibha Patil.
Law Minister Veerapa Moily and eminent jurists from various countries were present.
Jethmalani alleged that "Wahabi terrorism" indoctrinated "rubbish" in the minds of young people to carry out terrorist attacks.
It was unfortunate that the entire Islam as a religion was being blamed for terrorism, he said, adding that "there are also Hindu terrorists and Buddhist terrorists."
When Jethmalani was delivering his address as the president of All India Senior Advocates Association, President Patil and Moily were seen exchanging notes.
Referring to Jethmalani comments, Justice Awn S Al-Khasawneh, a judge of the International Court of Justice, asked him not "to make sweeping statements." He was also one of the delegates and awardees at the conference.
Jethmalani lamented that India had friendly relations with a country that supported Wahabi terrorism.
Following Jethmalani's speech, Saudi Arabia's Ambassador Faisal-al-Trad was seen walking out of the conference, apparently taking offence at the remarks.
Organiser of the event Adesh Agarwala said the Ambassador had walked out but returned after Moily's statement that the views expressed by Jethmalani were not that of the government.
The senior lawyer, who is representing Anil Ambani group firm RNRL in the Ambani brothers' gas row, said that the government in its arguments in the Supreme Court had said that it intended to bring gas pipeline from the country which supported terrorism. He was apparently referring to the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project.
Moily, in his address, said that terrorism cannot be attributed to any particular religion.
