The Madras High Court Bench here, even as it asked the Registrar (Administration) to “circulate instructions” to all media houses asking them not to publish or broadcast names of lawyers and judges while reporting court news, refused to entertain the petition filed by advocate S. Baskar Mathuram who had sought compensation and other reliefs for five Dalit kids booked for offences under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act by the Madurai district police.
They judges also directed the Registrar (Judicial) of the High Court to take up the matter with the Bar Council of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry for initiating necessary action against him, preferably within six months, for breach of Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct.
‘Formulate policy’
Stating that the petitioner had approached the court seeking “extravagant reliefs” for an incident that took place “in some remote rural area” and by relying upon news reports, the Bench reminded the State Government of the need to put in place a policy decision to ensure that media does not furnish any details capable of enabling the readers to identify juveniles in conflict with law.
“We hope and trust necessary decision would be taken at the earliest, preferably within the next 30 days, and the same will be adhered to by the print and electronic media henceforth. It shall also be open to the State/police to take up the matter with the concerned, including the Press Council of India, for the [news] reports which have already appeared,” the judges added.
‘FIR under pressure’
Though, in the present case, the District Child Welfare Committee had opined that prima facie, the POCSO complaint against Dalit kids was a fabricated one and the FIR was registered under pressure from a caste Hindu advocate, the Bench said: “We consider that the intervention of this court is not called for in the matter and Superintendent of Police, Madurai, shall monitor the entire follow up action strictly in accordance with the law.”
The Registrar of the HC has been asked to take up the matter with the Bar Council of TN and Puducherry
