TV debates on court matters interference in administration of justice: SC

The Supreme Court has disapproved a tendency among investigating agencies to record a confessional statement of the accused and allow it to be played by TV channels, saying it is nothing but a dereliction of duty and direct interference in the administration of justice.

"All matters relating to the crime and whether a particular thing happens to be a conclusive piece of evidence must be dealt with by a Court of Law and not through a TV channel," a bench of Justices U U Lalit and P S Narasimha said.

"If at all there was a voluntary statement, the matter would be dealt with by the Court of Law. The public platform is not a place for such debate or proof of what otherwise is the exclusive domain and function of Courts of law. Any such debate or discussion touching upon matters which are in the domain of Courts would amount to direct interference in the administration of Criminal Justice," the bench added.

The top court was dealing with an appeal by Venkatesh alias Chandra and another person against the Karnataka High Court's judgement which had converted the death penalty awarded to them in a dacoity-cum-murder case to life imprisonment.

The bench, which granted the benefit of doubt to the appellants and acquitted them of all charges, found several "disturbing" features in the case.

It noted that voluntary statements recorded on DVD were played in the trial court.

"Such a statement is again in the nature of a confession to a police officer and is completely hit by the principles of the Evidence Act. If at all the accused were desirous of making confessions, the investigating machinery could have facilitated the recording of confessions by producing them before a Magistrate for appropriate action in terms of Section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code. Any departure from that course is not acceptable and cannot be recognized and taken on record as evidence," the bench said.

"What has further aggravated the situation is the fact that said statements on DVD were played and published in a programme by Udaya TV. Allowing said DVD to go into the hands of a private TV channel so that it could be played and published in a programme is nothing but a dereliction of duty and direct interference in the administration of Justice," the bench added.

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