The Supreme Court on Tuesday issued a notice to the Centre after the woman, who was allegedly snooped upon by the Gujarat police, and her father moved the court on Tuesday, seeking to stop the appointment of any probe panel as it would infringe on their privacy.
A Bench of Justices Ranjana Desai and N.V. Ramana also issued a notice to the Gujarat government on the petition seeking stay of all further proceedings in the probe ordered by the State government.
The Bench, after hearing senior counsel Ranjit Kumar and counsel Ms. Bina Madhavan, directed the matter to be listed for further hearing on May 9, when it said it would consider passing an interim order after hearing both the Centre and State. The petitioners’ names are being withheld on a request made by the Bench not to publish their names.
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The petitioners said a sinister and defamatory campaign had started in the electronic and print media by certain vested groups on the basis of unverified information published by two portals, Cobra Post and Gulail.com, ostensibly on the ground of protecting their right to privacy. Such a sinister campaign had resulted in tarnishing the reputation of petitioners and their family members, causing immense anguish and suffering.
They submitted that the safety measures taken by the State agency were not only done their knowledge but they were fully justified.