SC slams media: Where's anonymity of Rewari gang-rape victim?
New Delhi, Sep 18: The Supreme Court on Tuesday slammed a section of the media, especially news channels, for revealing the identity of the Rewari gang-rape victim and asked how such disclosures could be stopped.
"Where is the anonymity of victim?" a bench of Justice Madan B. Lokur and Justice Deepak Gupta asked as it questioned an interview of the woman's father by news channels in the presence of co-villagers.
Hearing a plea against media gag on reporting on the probe into Muzaffarpur shelter home case, the bench expressed concern over the revelation of Rewari victim's identity: "There is something wrong... saw on news channel that a girl was raped in Rewari. They say she was a board exam topper. There is only one topper. Identifying her is not a problem at all. Probably, if you google, you will find out. Rewari is not a big city like Delhi, Kolkata... happened to see that by chance on a TV channel.
"They interviewed the victim's father with his back to the camera, but there are 50 people from the village also in front of him. They know him. They will tell 50 more and everybody would know. Now, what's to be done," the bench asked.
The bench expressed concern and asked who should be held responsible for revealing her identity. "Tell us what can be done? What should be done to prevent it? Who is responsible?"
"Where is the question of anonymity. We are concerned about her. How to stop the disclosure of identity..."
Three co-villagers had gang-raped the 19-year-old woman on September 12 after kidnapping her from the Kanina bus stand while she was on her way for coaching classes.
She said that they gave her sedative-laced water to drink and gang-raped her in a room in agricultural fields till she fell unconscious. They later dumped her at a bus stop near her village.
An advocate, assisting the court as amicus curiae, told the bench that the media sensationalize the news and hence there should be its regulation.
The court was hearing a plea that challenged a Patna High Court order to restrain the media from reporting on the investigation into the Muzaffarpur shelter home case, wherein several women inmates were raped.
The bench said it would hear the plea on September 20.
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People must do politics; elected representatives must work, says Actor Prakash Raj
Kalaburagi: Actor and activist Prakash Raj has said that in a democracy, politics must be done by the people, while elected representatives are meant to work and serve after winning elections.
Speaking at the launch of Vartha Bharati's Kalyana Karnataka edition in Kalaburagi on Saturday, Prakash Raj said that once representatives are elected, their only responsibility is service. “This is our tax, our country. Service is the only job of people’s representatives. They come to seek votes every five years; the people do not,” he said.
Releasing the newspaper’s special issue at the event, he asserted that the distinction between people and politicians must never be reversed. “This is our country. Citizens must continuously engage in politics, and politicians must continuously work. Never change this order. Politics belongs to the people,” he said.
ALSO READ: Kalaburagi: ‘Vartha Bharati’ Kalyana Karnataka edition launched
Quoting writer P. Lankesh, Prakash Raj said newspapers, media, artists, and citizens must act as a permanent opposition. “They must be the voice of the people without seeking the patronage of the ruling party. Only then can they work fearlessly,” he said. He stressed the need to clearly tell today’s society who must engage in politics.
Referring to regional imbalance, he said Karnataka has become Bengaluru-centric and confined largely to southern Karnataka. With Vartha Bharati entering the Kalyana Karnataka region, he said the newspaper must contribute to the region’s development by consistently reporting its issues with a strong voice.
Prakash Raj also spoke about the role of independent media, saying that anyone can be swept away in a flood, including dead fish, but to swim against the current requires life. “Independent media have that life. Ravish Kumar, The Wire, and Vartha Bharati have the courage to swim against the flood,” he said.
He warned that fear strengthens authoritarianism. “If we are not afraid, they will be afraid,” he said, alleging that institutions such as the police, Election Commission, courts, and media are being pressured, silenced, and manipulated for political benefit. Expressing concern over the denial of bail to Umar Khalid, he said there is a visible lack of conscience in institutions meant to deliver justice to the people.
Recalling the early years after Independence, Prakash Raj said there was once fear of the police but also faith in the judiciary. “There was confidence that injustice would be addressed in court. Today, that faith no longer exists,” he said. He alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party are responsible for the present situation.
Using a metaphor, he said India is like a pond disturbed by a demon within it. “A lotus blooms on the surface, that is the BJP. We are fighting the lotus, but the real fight should be against the RSS, the root power beneath,” he said.
Drawing parallels with past global authoritarian regimes, he said leaders like Hitler and Mussolini headed political parties and could be defeated electorally. “The RSS is not a political party. Defeating the BJP alone is not enough. The roots must be uprooted,” he said, adding that despite changes in appearance, the ideological growth remains unchanged.
Prakash Raj also raised concerns over Hindi imposition, delimitation, and what he described as political oppression of southern states such as Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh in the name of elections. He said people must recognise who is responsible for this oppression and understand the role of newspapers like Vartha Bharati in identifying and exposing it.
The event also marked the formal launch of Vartha Bharati's Kalyana Karnataka edition in Kalaburagi.
