SC take strong note of media reporting in Rewari gangrape case

The Supreme Court Tuesday took strong note of media reporting in the Rewari gangrape case, asking why no action has been taken against media houses for flouting the law as "everything has been said" about the 19-year-old victim.

"Where should we draw the line ... We are concerned about the identity of the victim," a bench of Justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta said and asked where should the line be drawn.

The apex court made the observations while dealing with a plea challenging a Patna High Court order restraining the media from reporting on the probe into the Muzaffarpur shelter home case where several women were allegedly raped and sexually abused over time.

Asking where was the question of "anonymity" in such a situation, the bench said "there are certain problems. Recently, there is a case of a girl being raped in Rewari (in Haryana). They (media) say that she was a topper in CBSE exam. Topper means one person, not 20 people. So identifying her is not a problem."
When a counsel said the news broadcasting authority already existed, the bench asked "have these TV channels been hauled up? We are giving you instances of yesterday. Tell us how to stop it."
To this, the bench asked "what action the Press Council of India (PCI) has taken in the Rewari case?"