The public’s right to know derives from the constitutional right to a free press but there is a need to strike a balance between the freedom of the press and the right of a victim to have a fair trial in cases of crime against women, pronouncing someone as guilty or not guilty is the function of the court and not the media.
The media is running “parallel trial” in sub-judice matters and the court should frame guidelines on how to report the cases of crime against women, Senior advocate Indira Jaising told a bench of Justices Madan B Lokur, S Abdul Nazeer and Deepak Gupta.
She also claimed that the police was leaking information to the media even before filing charges before a competent court, which amounted to interference in the administration of justice.
The court had earlier agreed to examine the provisions of law which provide curbs and balances for the media in reporting incidents of sexual assault, including that of minors, after a complaint that there has been “regular violation” of such provisions.
[source_without_link]SIASAT NEWS[/source_without_link]