Delhi High Court directs police to not leak information in toolkit case probe

The High Court also directed TV channels to exercise editorial control

The Delhi High Court on Friday directed the police to ensure that there was no leakage of information on an investigation in toolkit case but refused to restrain it from holding press briefings.

A single-judge bench of Justice Pratibha Singh HC also directed the TV channels to exercise proper editorial control to see that the ongoing investigation was not hampered.

Passing an interim order on a plea by arrested climate activist Disha Ravi, the High Court said the right to privacy, the sovereignty and integrity of the country and the freedom of speech need to be balanced.

Also read — Disha's arrest: 'Youth with passion to change world not safe in India'

While noting that the recent coverage by media definitely showed sensationalised reporting, the court directed the Delhi police, investigating the case, their officers abided by the April 2019 notification on press briefings.

While a journalist cannot be asked to reveal their source, it has to be authentic, it added. The Delhi Police, for its part, claimed that it has not leaked anything whereas the media claims to the contrary, the court noted.

Disha was arrested on February 13 from Bengaluru for allegedly editing toolkit document to elicit social media responses to farmers' protest. She sought a direction from High Court barring TV channels from publishing alleged WhatsApp chats with Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, in order to protect her right to privacy, reputation and fair trial.

After hearing on her petition, the court said, "The channel editors are directed to ensure that proper editorial control is exercised while disseminating information to ensure the investigation is not hampered."

The court also ordered Disha to ensure that there was no indulgence to malign the police and other authorities.

It posted the matter for detailed hearing on March 5.