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The Delhi High Court has constituted a committee to examine and make recommendations regarding “how court proceedings ought to be covered in media in the Delhi”. According to the note of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal, titled Media Reporting in Courts — Balancing Free Press, Fair Trial and Integrity of Judicial Proceedings, the media has the capacity to lead public opinion.
However, “media trials” have emerged as an “alarming consequence of such power”, said the note, adding that “such parallel trials result in populist views which, in turn, prejudice delivery of justice by influencing the judgment of stakeholders like police and judges”.
Even a slight error in reporting could affect the court proceedings and the lives of those involved, the note said. The remedy against inaccurate reporting is issuance of contempt of court proceedings, it said. However, this is a last resort only after there is “irreversible damage”, the note added. The note clarified that “this exercise was not to control or regulate media”. Instead, the note said, it was a participatory mechanism to evolve certain principles.
A seven-member panel has been formed to “study international best practices on media guidelines for court reporting and recommend guidelines”, “balance fair trial with free press”, and “suggest methodology for accreditation of court reporters through an independent process, besides training modules for them”.
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