New Delhi, Feb 1 (UNI) The Delhi High Court on Monday sought response of the Centre and media organisations, including Press Council of India (PCI), News Broadcasters Association (NBA) and Aaj Tak in petitions alleging vicious and concocted campaign against the protesting farmers' rally on Republic Day, 2021.
A division bench of Chief Justice DN Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh issued notice to the respondents after hearing a petition filed by Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, MP, Rajya Sabha and Manjit Singh SK, president, Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee.
In their plea, the petitioners prayed the authorities to frame necessary guidelines restraining fake news, framing appropriate laws and bye-laws, and fix appropriate punishment for violation of the same.
Appraising the court about certain 'anti-social and ill motivated elements' infiltrated in the protests on January 26, the plea contended that "vicious, unmitigated, abhorrent, concocted and reprehensible actions by certain media houses (i.e. Aaj Tak)."
"These media outlets unleashed an offensive and potentially fatal communal attack on the "Sikh" community by continuous circulation and constant transmission of unverified videos through different platforms including their respective news channels, YouTube, and other such digital and online platforms, pursuant to the events that unfolded New Delhi on the 72nd Republic Day of India on 26.02.2021," the plea read.
The plea also said that the farmers' tractor rally was met by severe and brutal assaults by police following the anti-social elements' infiltration.
The bench said it would hear the case on February 26.
UNI JW SB 1702