Chennai: Madras high court on Friday restrained media outlets, intermediaries and social media platforms from publishing, circulating or disclosing any video which touches upon the child rape case involving granite baron R Veeramani.
“To fulfil the interest of the public to know what the police are doing with respect to this serious crime, the SIT formed by the DGP shall issue a press release once every week,” the court added. Justice V Lakshminarayanan has also directed media outlets and other entities that have already uploaded any material in connection with the crime to remove them forthwith, failing which the police shall vigorously apply the law and ensure their removal.
Earlier, the court observed that there is something more important in life than TRP ratings and observed that broadcasting the videos will have a chilling effect on the victims, and it would prevent them from coming out to report the crime.
Because of the constant exposure and coverage by the press of the activities and strategies being adopted by the law enforcement agencies that the terrorists came to know of them, and they took countermeasures, thereby defeating the very purpose for which the security personnel had been deployed, it was only.
Every right has a corresponding duty, and this duty is not only owed to the children, but also to the accused involved in the case, the judge said.
“While this court cherishes the freedom of speech and expression and, in particular, the freedom of the press to disseminate information, this court is also reminded of the gruesome events that took place during the Bombay Terrorist attack in 2009,” the court said. The entities that have been injuncted are at liberty to discuss the issues that arise out of child abuse, as long as it does not touch upon the factual matrix in the case, the court clarified.