Scribes depose before panel

Journalists, who were attacked at the City Civil Courts complex on March 2, deposed before the four-member fact-finding committee set up by the Broadcast Editors’ Association (BEA) on Tuesday.

The committee, headed by BEA General Secretary N K Singh, is on a two-day visit to the City to record statements on the ‘porngate’ and the court violence. 

The committee also interviewed a member of the Legislative House panel that is looking into porngate.

The member, whose identity is withheld on request, sought to allay media’s fears on its investigation of the incident. Justifying the questioning of the editors of TV channels, the House panel member said it was “not aimed at harassing the media”.

‘Want to find out truth’

“We just wanted to get to the bottom of the matter and find out the reasons for the fervent media coverage of porngate. We heard a lot of things and just wanted to find out the truth,” the member told the committee.

Senior advocate Pramila Nesargi was also interviewed by the committee. In her statement, Nesargi stressed that journalists, not lawyers, started the violence on March 2.

The committee will meet Commissioner of Police B G Jyotiprakash Mirji on Wednesday.

It will also speak to those injured in the scuffle. The committee will release its report by March 20 and a copy will be presented to Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar.

Probe commission chief takes charge

Justice R G Vaidyanathan on Tuesday assumed charge as the chairman of the one-man commission of inquiry to probe into the clash between mediapersons, police and advocates at the City Civil Courts complex on March 2.

The commission will issue a notification calling for affidavits from the advocates, members of the media, police officials and members of the public.