NEW DELHI: :The Delhi high court on Thursday issued notices to TV news channels and the News Broadcasting Standards Authority (NBSA) on a plea by jailed climate activist Disha Ravi seeking to restrain police and media from selectively leaking private chats.
Justice Pratibha M Singh issued notices to the channels even as police maintained that they had not leaked any material to the media in relation to its probe on the FIR against Disha for her alleged involvement in sharing a toolkit backing the ongoing farmers’ protest.
Appearing for police, solicitor general Tushar Mehta said he will file an affidavit in this regard. Since there were no counsel representing NBSA and some of the channels named in Ravi’s petition, the court issued notices to them and said it will hear the matter on Friday.
The petition has also sought to restrain the media from publishing the content or extract of any private chats, including those on WhatsApp, between her and third parties. Disha said she was "severely aggrieved and prejudiced by the media trial”.
Disha said she is being “viscerally attacked by respondent 1 (police) and several media houses”. The climate activist has also questioned why investigative matters have been leaked to the media and termed the press briefings by police as “prejudicial” and “grossly violative of her right to a fair trial and presumption of innocence”.
Claiming that her arrest from Bengaluru on February 13 by a cyber cell team of Delhi Police was “wholly unlawful and without basis”, Disha pointed out that in the current circumstances, it was “highly likely” that the general public will perceive the news items “as being conclusive as to the guilt of the petitioner (Disha)”. Disha’s petition also sought to “restrain the respondents from further violating her privacy, her reputation, and her right to a fair trial”.
“The illegal actions and omissions on part of the respondents have irrevo cably violated the petitioner’s fundamental right to privacy, her right to reputation, her dignity, and the consequent effect of the administration of justice and right to fair trial,” her petition further states .
The petition has claimed that police first “leaked investigative material” — including alleged WhatsApp chats — the substance and details of which were in the possession of the investigating agency only. The plea said the “private alleged WhatsApp chats” were publicised and disseminated by various media houses which was a violation of the provisions of Cable Televisions Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995, Programme Code and Uplinking and Downlinking Guidelines.
The petition has also claimed that the “media houses have published onesided defamatory, suggestive innuendoes and half-truths about the petitioner”. Disha’s plea further contended that the ministry of information & broadcasting and NBSA “have failed to exercise their statutory and self-regulatory powers in ensuring compliance with the Programme Code under the CTN Act and the Code of Ethics of National Broadcasting Standards Association”