Media should show restraint

Court asks police to explain how Kasab's CD was leaked
Posted: Tuesday , Dec 08, 2009 at 1929 hrs
Mumbai:

The special court hearing 26/11 terror attack case on Tuesday asked the police department to file an affidavit explaining how footages of a CD filmed on the interrogation of accused Ajmal Kasab was leaked to the media.

The Judge M L Tahaliyani asked Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam to file an affidavit of the police officer who had questioned Kasab after he was arrested on the intervening night of November 26-27 last year.

The CD showing Kasab replying to the police officer's queries had been aired by some television channels earlier.

The Judge told Nikam that the CD was part of the Case Diaries and showing them to the people while the trial was in progress invited contempt action.

"You file the affidavit of the police officer concerned and I shall examine whether it is fit case for contempt of court," said the Judge.


I have said it earlier and I repeat, the media should be reigned in.
The media does not care what is good or what is bad, what should be aired and what should be not. They are just interested in their TRPs.

They are just interested in "BREAKING NEWS"

The airing of live telecasts of the actions of our security personnel duting 26/11 was a case in point. The government should analyse how many of our personnel died because of the TV telecast.

Some time back, there was a telecast of a captured terrorist being interrogated while narco-test was being conducted.

When you air these, other terrorist get ideas on how to avoid the mistakes made by their captured comrades.

Recently, after the vedic village episode, the police gave a ball by ball description of how the prime accused had been to Ajmer, how he had come back, all through his Cell phone.
Does the police have to give these?
Does it not help future criminals not to repeat the mistakes committed by the captured criminals.

I am pleased, the police has been pulled up for releasing CDs of the interrogation.
The police did not do it from altruistic motives.
Quite a lot of money must have changed hands.
This aspect should also be looked into by the learned judge.
The media should also be warned not to air any sub-judice matters, failing which contempt of court case should be started on the culprits.