Journalist not expected to dramatise a horrifying incident and make news, says Allahabad High Court

In a significant observation, the Allahabad High Court said that a journalist was not expected to dramatise a sensational and horrifying incident and make news by putting his actor in a pitiable condition in danger of death.

Justice Vikas Kunvar Srivastava made the observation while declining to grant bail to Shamim Ahmed, a journalist, who was accused of inciting a man to die by suicide with the intention of filming the incident.

''The journalist keeps an eye on the anticipated or sudden events happening in the society and brings them to the information of all the people through various news media without any tampering, this is his business,'' the court said in its order.

''The complainant, who is already mentally distressed by her husband's financial condition, who further committed suicide under the influence of the accused...if the accused is set free, she will be in danger. She is the main witness in the case. For a fair trial, the complainant would need a completely fear-free environment as a witness. She has the right to have a fair trial of the matter,'' the court further said.

The court said that the investigator had seized the video camera and film from the accused which disclosed that according to the plan, the deceased reached in front of the Legislative Assembly building in front of gate number three, stood in the middle of the road, poured oil on himself and set it on fire, meanwhile, a man identified as the accused was seen recording the film of the deceased even prior to this incident of his self burning.

Instead of saving the grievously burning deceased, the accused kept on filming it till he was badly scorched. Policemen were also seen trying to rescue the deceased from burning in the confiscated film.

According to the prosecution, the accused and his accomplice, also a journalist, contacted the victim, hailing from West Bengal, who lived as a tenant in Lucknow and had been threatened by his landlord for not vacating the house and asked him to set himself ablaze before the Assembly building.

The duo told the victim that they would film the incident and also that the landlord then would not be able to force him to vacate the house.

The victim, identified as Surendra Chakraborty, set himself ablaze on October 20 last year and died four days later at the hospital. Shamim and his friend had filmed the incident.

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