Gujarat High Court orders re-publication of apologies by major newspapers for incorrect reporting
Ahmedabad: The Gujarat High Court has directed The Times of India(ToI), The Indian Express, and Divya Bhaskar to reissue public apologies after finding their previous apologies for incorrect court reporting insufficient.
A Bench comprising Chief Justice Sunita Agarwal and Justice Pranav Trivedi rejected the apologies published by the three newspapers on August 23, stating that they were not in bold letters or prominently placed as instructed in the Court's order on August 22.
"You should have given it a complete headline that the apology is in relation to what. Who is going to understand what the apology is for?" Chief Justice Agarwal remarked, expressing dissatisfaction with the format of the apologies.
The Court granted the newspapers an additional three days to publish fresh apologies on their front pages, ensuring they are in bold letters and clearly indicating that the apology pertains to a wrong report published on August 13, 2024, regarding court proceedings on the rights of aided minority institutions.
The Court had previously issued notices to the regional editors of the newspapers for what it described as a "false and distorted narration" of the proceedings. Although the newspapers tendered apologies in their affidavits, the Court was not satisfied and ordered the publication of public apologies.
During the hearing on Monday, the Bench observed that the apologies published were too small and lacked the necessary emphasis. The Chief Justice also warned that failure to comply with the Court’s directions could result in contempt of court notices against the editors.
The Court also directed the newspapers to give wide publicity to the next Lok Adalat session as a form of compensation for the judicial time wasted on this issue.
Senior Advocate Devang Nanvati appeared for The Indian Express and ToI, while Advocate Maulik G Nanavati represented Divya Bhaskar.
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13 lakh litres of 'Rail Neer' supplied to train passengers daily: Government
New Delhi (PTI): Approximately 13 lakh litres of packaged drinking water -- 'Rail Neer' -- are being supplied to train passengers across the railway network daily, the government informed the Lok Sabha in a written reply on Wednesday.
Apprising the Lower House about the Indian Railways' endeavour to provide safe and potable drinking water facilities at all stations, the government also provided zone-wise details of the water vending machines (WVMs) installed there.
"To ensure the quality of drinking water being made available at the railway stations, instructions exist for periodical checking and required corrective action to be taken.
"Regular inspection and maintenance of drinking water facilities is carried out and complaints are attended to promptly," Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said while responding to a question raised by BJP MP Anup Sanjay Dhotre seeking to know the supply of drinking water at railway stations across the country
"Complaints regarding deficiency in services, including water supply, are received through various channels such as public complaints, web portals, social media, etc. These complaints are received at various levels, including the Railway Board, zonal railways, division office, etc.," Vaishnaw said.
"The complaints so received are forwarded to the concerned wings of Railways and necessary action is taken to check and address them. As receipt of such complaints and action taken thereon is a continuous and dynamic process, a centralised compendium of these is not maintained," he added.
Providing zone-wise details of water vending machines, the minister said 954 such machines have been installed across railway stations.
"The Indian Railways also provides safe and affordable packaged drinking water bottles -- Rail Neer -- approved by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) in trains and at stations," Vaishnaw said.
"Approximately, 13 lakh litres of Rail Neer are being supplied per day to the travelling passengers in trains and at stations across the Indian Railways network," he added.
