Media coverage prejudicial in Disha Ravi case: Delhi High Court

New Delhi, February 19

Advocating a balance between right to privacy, freedom of speech and sovereignty and integrity of India, the Delhi High Court on Friday asked the Delhi Police to abide by their affidavit that they won’t leak personal information about activist Disha Ravi, who was arrested from Bengaluru in the toolkit case last week.

Acting on Ravi’s petition seeking to restrain the Delhi Police from leaking to the media any probe material in relation to the FIR lodged against her, a Bench of Justice Pratibha M Singh said certain media coverage of the investigation indicated “sensationalism and prejudicial reporting” of the case.

“The media shall ensure that telecasts are from verified and authentic sources. Channel editors to ensure proper editorial control so that investigation is not hampered,” Justice Singh said, posting the matter for further hearing in March.

The HC also asked the 22-year-old climate activist to ensure that people connected to her didn’t indulge in unnecessary or scandalising messages and the parties didn’t go on a maligning course during the investigation. On behalf of Ravi, senior advocate Akhil Sibal wanted the court to order certain TV channels to take down reports having reference to the “so-called WhatsApp conversations” from their online platforms and restrain them from disseminating any information of the probe which was not part of public record.

However, the court refused to order removal of any such content at this stage with regard to the probe into the FIR against Ravi for her alleged involvement in sharing a toolkit backing farmers’ protest. “There is no doubt that regulation of content has been a very contested issue across the world and India is no exception to it,” the HC noted. — TNS

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