We don't rely on newspapers to arrive at judicial decisions: SC

"We are not going to rely on newspapers to arrive at judicial decisions", the Supreme Court said Tuesday when a petitioner referred to media reports about statement of Vice-Chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) on the alleged police atrocities on students protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

The apex court, which said that law and order has to be maintained by the police and not the court, said that police is entitled to arrest those who have committed offence.

"We are not going to read newspapers. We are not going to rely on newspapers to arrive at judicial decisions," a bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde told senior advocate Colin Gonsalves, who was appearing for the petitioners.

While refusing to appoint a committee of a retired judge of the apex court as was done in the Telengana encounter case, the bench said: "No parallel can be drawn between them. In Telangana, one committee could have gone into the incident but in the incidents of violence by the protesting students at Jamia Millia Islamia and Aligarh Muslim University or any other place, it is not possible as the issue of jurisdiction will arise."
"We are not the institution which has to maintain law and order," the bench said, adding, "We are not telling you that there is no problem. We are not saying that this is not serious."
When Jaising raised the problems being faced by students due to sudden closure of JMI, the bench said, "We are not saying that you do not have any problem. Each of our chief justice (of high courts) will respond adequetly and pass appropriate orders in each of these cases."