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The Delhi High Court has ordered the Press Council of India to lie down the rules for media while covering sensitive issues.
Act Now For Harmony and Democracy, an NGO, had filed a petition with the Delhi High Court calling for action against police for making the confessional statements made by the suspected terrorists in Batla House gun battle case available to the media.
A division bench of Chief Justice Ajit Prakash Shah and Justice S. Muralidhar has postponed the hearing for Nov 25.
The court has noted down the arguments put forward by advocate Prashant Bhushan, who was talking for the NGO. He asked the Court to issue contempt and defamation notices to the media for incorrect reporting.
The guidelines say, "The publication of any allegation made by a police officer regarding an accused in the course of investigation would not be protected by any kind of privilege and would amount to defamation and contempt. This principle would also be applied for formal press releases addressed by police officers as it is for the court to decide whether an individual is innocent or guilty, and not the police."
