Media trial violates law: Bombay HC on Sushant Singh Rajput death case coverage

In a significant judgement, the Bombay High Court on Monday ruled that “media trial” impacts investigations and violates law. The order came in response to a bunch of PILs vis-a-vis the case involving the death of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput and its media coverage.

“Media trial violates programme code under the Cable TV Network Regulation Act.... We have held that the media trial runs counter to the programme code framed under the Act,” a division bench of the Bombay High Court comprising Justice Dipankar Datta, the Chief Justice and Justice GS Kulkarni said.

Since electronic media do not currently have its guidelines, the Press Council of India (PCI) guidelines for print media would be applicable to electronic media as well, the court ruled.

A bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice G S Kulkarni said some reportage by Republic TV and Times Now in the aftermath of the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput were "contemptuous".

The bench further said that it had, however, decided against taking any action against the channels.

The HC said such reportage by any media organisation, that obstructs an ongoing investigation or administration of justice in a case, will amount to contempt of court.

The HC also issued a slew of guidelines for media houses to follow when reporting in cases of suicide.

Following weeks of exhaustive arguments, the bench had on November 6 last year reserved its verdict on a bunch of PILs seeking that the press, particularly TV news channels, be restrained in their reportage on the death Rajput.

The PILs, filed through senior counsel Aspi Chinoy, by activists, private citizens, and a group of retired police officers, had also sought that TV news channels be stopped from conducting a media trial into the case.

During the arguments, the Union government's counsel, Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh, had said there already existed adequate statutory as well as self-regulatory mechanism for the media, including TV news channels, to follow while printing or broadcasting any news item.

Private TV news channels that are party to the case had also argued that the self-regulatory mechanism was adequate and no new statutory mechanism or guidelines were required to control the media.

Rajput was found hanging at his home in Bandra area of Mumbai on June 14 last year.

(With inputs from PTI)