SC asks govt to frame norms for media briefings by police

THE SUPREME Court on Wednesday asked the Union government to frame a new memorandum of guidelines for the police on briefing the media while keeping in mind the protection of rights of the accused and the victims in a crime case.

“We...direct the Centre to prepare a fresh memorandum of police guidelines on media by taking into consideration the rights of the accused so that their rights are not prejudiced during trial and also the sensitive rights of victims,” said the three-member bench led by Chief Justice of India J S Khehar.

The bench, also comprising Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justice Sanjay K Kaul, gave six weeks to the Centre to prepare the draft of the guidelines by examining various suggestions submitted to the apex court.

The court was of the view that last such memorandum was issued by the Centre in 2010. Since then, much deliberations has taken place and the subject has been examined from various angles, the bench said.

It noted that lawyer Gopal Sankarnarayanan, who is assisting the court as an amicus curiae, has prepared documents by compiling the practices prevalent in other countries — New York, Los Angeles, London and Dorset (UK) — and has also examined the guidelines laid down in the CBI manual and the advisory of the Union Home Ministry.

The issue of police briefing to the media is being dealt with by the apex court and it has passed several directions on a petition filed by the NGO, People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL). The apex court on September 23, 2014 had passed a slew of directions for framing guidelines in encounter cases after it was alleged by the PUCL that 99 encounters took place in Mumbai resulting in death of about 135 people between 1995 and 1997.