PATNA: The
Editors Guild of India on Saturday appealed Chief Justice of India to review
Patna high court’s order in which it barred electronic and print media from covering ongoing investigation of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the
Muzaffarpur government children home rape case.
The Guild, in its letter, also appealed Patna high court Chief Justice to review the restraining order given on August 23.
While expressing its deep concern over restraining order, the Guild wrote: “The Guild is distressed to note that the court, instead of protecting the media freedom, has issued an order that had effectively curbed it. It condemns such orders as it believes that such restrictions on reporting on investigations into a matter of public importance are counterproductive”.
“The guild decries the recent growing trend of courts issuing such restraint orders on the media that undermine one of the pillar of democracy,” the Guild further wrote in its letter which was uploaded on its twitter handle.
The division bench of chief justice MR Shah and Justice Ravi Ranjan retrained media from covering ongoing CBI investigation in the case until completion citing reason that it might help suspects. The high court is monitoring the entire CBI investigation.
“We have also noticed that in the media, both print media as well as electronic media, the reporting is made with respect to the case and even with respect to investigation. The same may hamper the investigation very seriously,” the high court had wrote in its order.
“Under the circumstances, till the investigation is completed, all the print and electronic media are hereby restrained from reporting anything with respect to the case, more particularly, with respect to the investigation already undertaken and/or which is likely to take place as it may seriously hamper the investigation of the case. The State Government as well as the CBI is directed to see that the above order is complied with by everybody,” the high court further ordered.
Hours after the order, director (social welfare directorate) Raj Kumar promptly issued a letter to information and public relation department (IPRD) to informing media that covering anything related to Muzaffarpur children home and its investigation has been barred by the high court.
It must be recalled that Kumari Majnu Verma, had to resign from position of social welfare minister on August 8 after it surfaced in media reports that her husband Chandreshwar Verma was in close contact with Brajesh Thakur, prime accused in the case, and had also had visited the home in Muzaffarpur.
Later CBI also raided official and private residence of Verma at Patna and Begusarai in connection with the case on August 17.
