SC judgement on media evokes mixed response

Senior advocate Dushyant Dave and public spirited lawyer Prashant Bhushan said that apex court had delivered the most "imbalanced" judgement which will benefit the influential accused to seek pre-publication ban.

"It can possibly open floodgates to influential accused to seek pre-publication ban while prosecuting agency may be in cahoots with them or similarly the lower courts can also be in cohoots with them," Bhushan said.

He said giving such powers to High Courts and the apex court to ban pre-publication can be "dangerous".

Dave termed the propounding of such a constitutional principle as contrary to the constitutional principles, legal points and hard ground realities.

"The judgement, I would characterise as one of the worst Supreme Court has delivered on constitutional provisions," he told a TV channel while adding that the verdict completely ignores the rights of victims and their families.

"The judgement is really going to create serious problems," he said.

However, differing with Dave and Bhushan, noted jurist P P Rao and Shanti Bhushan said the doctrine of postponement would not lead to unreasonable restrictions but there was a need for self-regulation instead of media guidelines.