Notices to states,UTs on media briefing by police

The Supreme Court issued notices to states and Union Territories UTs Monday seeking to know within four weeks if there were rules governing media briefing by the police on cases pending investigation and trial. A Bench of justices B S Chauhan and S A Bobde sought the affidavits after Additional Solicitor General P P Malhotra said while the CBI had spokespersons to brief the media in accordance with an in-house procedure, states and UTs should be asked to reveal their regulatory mechanisms,if any. The SC had earlier asked whether states had any rules permitting the police to speak on cases related to terrorism or sensitive cases such as riots when the names of communities involved may not be disclosed. The SC is hearing a PIL filed by lawyer Surat Singh in 2008,in the wake of irresponsible media coverage of the Aarushi-Hemraj double murder case in Noida.