'Won't Restrain Media Ever...': SC Refuses Plea To Stop Media From Reporting Adani-Hindenburg Saga

The Supreme Court on Friday said it is not going to issue any injunction to the media ever while listening to a plea to gag media from reporting Adani-Hinderburg row.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday said it will not injunct media on carrying reports on Hindenburg report on Adani group till the court pronounces its order on constitution of a committee to examine the matter. Advocate M.L. Sharma mentioned the matter before a bench headed by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud. The Chief Justice told Sharma, "We are not going to issue any injunction to the media ever... We will pronounce orders shortly." When Sharma repeated his request by saying that the media was creating a sensation, the Chief Justice said, "make a reasonable argument, not for an injunction on the media..."

Sharma, in the application, said media hype is affecting the Indian share market and the allegations are creating panic amongst the investors. Sharma`s application is a part of his PIL, which was filed in connection with the Hindenburg report controversy.

On February 17, the Supreme Court said it would not accept sealed cover names of experts suggested by the Centre for inclusion on the committee to be set up to examine Hindenburg report, which resulted in crashing of Adani group company share prices and caused massive loss to investors.

The top court said it will select experts and maintain full transparency, and if the court were to take names suggested by the Central government, then it would amount to a government constituted committee.

The bench, also comprising Justices P.S. Narasimha and J.B. Pardiwala, said the court wants full transparency for protection of interest of investors and it will form a committee so that there is a sense of confidence in the court.

The top court on February 10 had said the interests of Indian investors need to be protected against market volatility in the backdrop of the Adani stocks rout and asked the Centre to consider setting up a panel of domain experts headed by a former judge to look into strengthening the regulatory mechanisms.

Till now, four PILs have been filed in the top court on the issue by lawyers M L Sharma, Vishal Tiwari, Congress leader Jaya Thakur and Mukesh Kumar, who claims to be a social activist, respectively.