HC to frame guidelines for reporting under-trial cases

The Court passed the order on a PIL filed by an NGO ‘Act Now For Harmony and Democracy’ seeking action against the police officials for allegedly leaking to the media confessional statements made before them by suspected terrorists in the case relating to Batla House encounter here in which two terrorists and a Delhi Police inspector were killed on September 19 last year.

The petitioner pleaded that the police officials should be held guilty for contempt of court for leaking any information during investigation and trial of the accused.

“The principle should also be applicable to formal press releases and press conferences addressed by police officers as it is for the court to decide whether an individual is innocent or guilty and not the police,” advocate Prashant Bhushan appearing for the NGO said.

“Any statement to the media,other than reports to the Court,made by a police officer regarding the guilt or innocence of any person or their involvement in a crime,in the course of investigation,by the police would amount to misconduct,” he said while placing his suggestion for the guidelines before the court.

The High Court had earlier said the media needed to have some sort of “self-imposed restriction” while handling sensitive issues.

“There has to be some sort of self-imposed restriction. It’s very disturbing and there is a commercial aspect in every thing,” the court had said while directing a news magazine to file its response on how it managed to get statements of three suspected terrorists who were taken into custody by the police for their alleged involvement in Delhi serial blasts.

Five accused were arrested by the city police for their alleged involvement in the serial blasts in the national capital.

Rehman,Nissar and Shakil were apprehended by the police from Jamia Nagar on September 20,a day after two alleged militants were gunned down in an encounter. Mohd Saif and Zeeshan were arrested on the day of the encounter.