The Delhi Police are likely to question Leslee Udwin, the British filmmaker, whose documentary on the December 16 gang-rape and comments made by one of the prime accused convicted in the case featured in it, has stoked a controversy over the last two days.
A source said the police would write to Ms. Udwin “by Monday” to make herself available for examination by senior officials, specially entrusted with the task of overseeing and investigating the matter.
“Several lacunae have come to light in relation to the way in which Ms. Udwin sought, received and utilised permission to interview Mukesh Singh in the vicinity of the Tihar Jail,” a police official said. “We have reason to believe that some information was concealed deliberately on her part while seeking a nod from the jail authorities to broadcast it,” said the official, adding that Singh might be slapped with a fresh criminal case pertaining to his remarks.
Police Commissioner Bhim Sen Bassi, during an interaction with journalists after meeting Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday, hinted as much saying that an FIR had been issued pertaining to the matter and “people related to the act of conducting Mukesh Singh’s interview would be summoned.”
The Delhi Police had, on Tuesday, obtained a restraining order to restrict the airing of Ms. Udwin’s documentary, “India0's Daughter” from a city court.
A day later, the police sought to clarify that sections pertaining to the modesty of women as per the Indian Penal Code had been invoked since, in the interview, Singh had “made malicious, derogatory, offensive and insulting remarks against women, causing harassment and disrepute”.
These excerpts of the interview as published by some sections of the media, the police said, are highly offensive and have already created a situation of tension and fear among women in society.
“As per the news reports, BBC and NDTV 24X7 are scheduled to telecast the interview on March 8, 2015. In case the interview is telecast, it may lead to widespread public outcry and a serious law and order problem, as had happened in the aftermath of the Nirbhaya gang-rape case,” the police said in a statement.
“Therefore, in the interest of justice and maintenance of public order, an application was made in the court of Ld. MM seeking restraining order from publishing, transmitting, uploading or broadcasting the interview,” the statement added.
While the court issued directions that the interview should not be uploaded, transmitted, published through any web portal or print or any other media till further orders had been made clear to the media, the restraint order has been served upon BBC and NDTV.
The CERT-IN has been requested to ensure compliance.
Mukesh Singh might be slapped with a fresh criminal case pertaining to his remarks
