Journalists not expected to dramatise incident, create news: Allahabad HC

The Allahabad High Court has observed that a journalist is not expected to dramatise a “sensational and horrifying incident” and create news by putting the life of a person at risk while rejecting the bail application of a TV journalist who was accused of abetting a suicide in Lucknow last year.

Journalist Shamim, whose bail application was rejected, and Naushad Ahmad had allegedly contacted a person named Surendra Chakraborty and induced him to set himself on fire in front of the Vidhan Sabha building, so that they can film the incident and telecast it on television.

“The journalist keeps an eye on the anticipated or sudden events happening in the society and brings them to the information of all the people through various news media without any tampering, this is his business,” said Justice Vikas Kunvar Srivastav while rejecting the bail application in an order passed on June 21.

The journalists allegedly induced Chakraborty to immolate himself so that he does not get evicted from his rented house in Lucknow’s Udaiganj area. Chakraborty was being forced to evict the rented house by landlord Zaved Khan, who is a co-accused in the case.