Gang-rape: Police want media coverage ban to stay

Last Updated: Thursday, February 14, 2013, 00:03

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Tags: Trial court, restrain media, gang-rape case

New Delhi: Police on Wednesday told the Delhi High Court to continue the ban on media access to the trial in the Dec 16, 2012 Delhi gang-rape case.

Advocate Dayan Krishnan, appearing for the police, opposed a plea seeking access to the trial going on in a fast-track court in south Delhi, saying that "every rape case trial has to be in-camera".

Krishnan said there were several witnesses in the case and for their interest the trial should be held in-camera.

"Charges have been framed in the case. We have 80 witnesses and till now 11 have deposed and the trial is being carried out on a day-to-day basis," added Krishnan.

Justice Rajiv Shakdher asked Krishnan whether accredited journalists could be allowed to cover the court proceedings, to which he replied in the negative.

"Can you have some kind of calibrated access to allow accredited journalists at least one from each media," the court said.

The court posted the matter for Feb 28.

The fast-track trial court Jan 7 ordered in-camera trial of the case following unruly scenes that prevented the accused from being led into court. It also told the media not to report any news related to the case without its permission.

Police, in its report submitted to the high court, said that its advisory to media houses was a measure of "courtesy" as violation of the court-imposed ban on coverage could lead to registration of first information report against reporters.

The high court was hearing a plea filed by legal journalists saying their "fundamental right of freedom of speech and expression" was being violated.

"My right as a responsible media reporter is violated," said one of the petitioner against the advisory issued by police to media restraining them from publishing news related to the case.

The plea filed by advocate Meenakshi Lekhi said: "The role of police in the case is under suspicion from the day one, and passing a gag order (by trial judge) and advisory of police will come in the way of a fair trial."

"Media should be allowed so that people in the country could get to know what is going on behind the closed doors," the petition said.

"The braveheart victim has already expired and her father has already disclosed the identity and name to the media which has been published in the newspapers abroad and the social network sites. Therefore, the order to hold the proceedings in-camera was not warranted," the plea said.

IANS

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First Published: Wednesday, February 13, 2013, 21:27

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Marisol - Canada
Originally, Magistrate Namrita Aggarwal ordered that the courtroom be closed to the public and the media (citing safety concerns of the accused). A further gag order was slapped on the lawyers to not reveal what happened inside the court. Frankly, this is an abomination of justice, once again. The media should NOT be banned from the courtroom and lawyers should NOT be gagged from reporting the facts on the case, especially a case that is of such immense public concern and outrage! The public must demand better from its judiciary and force the courts to open the courtroom not only to the public, but also to the media! In the rest of the world, this would NOT happen! It is again, India’s judiciary doing its best to HIDE the facts and truths in this heinous, evil, sexual crime! PEOPLE OF INDIA—YOU MUST DEMAND BETTER!

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Marisol - Canada
THE GREATEST POLICE COVER-UP OF ALL TIMES: The police, for years, have neglected to protect its female population from the scourge of rapists rampant in your country. Yes, by all means, COVER IT UP. It`s shameful, it`s disgusting, and no one wants to know about it. BULLSHIT! The police have, for years, been inept at taking reports of sexual crime, they have refused to take reports of sexual crime, they have even decided on whether the sexual crime was consensual, something that was NOT in their sphere of duty. In this tragic case, police authorities exhibited a shameful, atrocious dereliction of duty in not attending to the poor Jyoti Singh and her fiance. They argued for some time about jurisdiction, they callously refused to pick up the living, breathing, bleeding body of Jyoti, they even brought both severely injured Jyoti and her finance to a far-away hospital! By all means, cover up the horrific ineptitude of the police. COVER IT UP, AS YOU HAVE ALWAYS DONE!

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Marisol - Canada
The interests of the victim are well known. Her father, Mr. Singh Pandey, has insisted, over and over again, that Jyoti Singh Pandey`s name be known to the world. This trial MUST be held, not in secret, but in public, with the media reporting. It is one of immense importance and significance and the public and media must be involved. The heinousness and utter brutality of the crime that caused a massive public outcry and outrage demands it! Otherwise, India will be perceived, by the world at large, as once again hiding and covering up, as it has been prone to do, just another sexual crime against just another woman.