SC junks plea agnst HC order barring publishing lawyers' names

The Supreme Court has dismissed an appeal against the Madras High Court order directing all print and electronic media not to publish the names of judges and lawyers in the news pertaining to cases.
A bench comprising Justices Ranjan Gogoi and Prafulla C Pant dismissed the petition filed against an order of Madurai Bench of the High Court which had said that names of lawyers or judges should not be published or broadcast as it amounted to indirect advertisement of their professional capabilities.
"We do not find any legal and valid ground for the interference," the court said while dismissing the plea filed by advocate S Baskar Mathuram.

The High Court had directed the Registrar (Administration) to immediately circulate instructions to the media houses about the prohibition and ask them not to publish individual names of the judges unless it was essentially required.
The high court judgment was passed while dismissing a public interest litigation filed by an advocate, seeking compensation for five Dalit children who were booked under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act by Madurai District Police on August 7.