No intention to act against Newslaundry journalist, Delhi High Court clarifies
The Delhi High Court on Friday clarified that it has no intention of taking action against journalist Manisha Pande or prejudicing her professional career, a day after its oral remarks during a hearing sparked widespread discussion on social media.
The court also made it clear that it was not attempting to gag the media, responding to the manner in which its earlier observations from Thursday’s proceedings were circulated online.
A Division Bench comprising Justices C Hari Shankar and Om Prakash Shukla was hearing appeals filed by TV Today, the broadcasting arm of the India Today Group, and digital news platform Newslaundry in connection with a dispute involving allegations of copyright infringement and defamation.
During Thursday’s hearing, the Bench had orally objected to the use of what it described as an unparliamentary expression during a programme featuring Pande and remarked that she “doesn’t know the basic fundamentals of decency in reporting.” The court had also observed that it could consider making her a party to the proceedings and that any order passed might place her career in “disarray.” These remarks were subsequently widely shared on social media platforms.
On Friday, although the matter was not originally listed, Justice Hari Shankar called the lawyers representing both sides to court to issue a clarification. Addressing them, he said the Bench did not intend to proceed against the journalist or cause harm to her career, adding that the lawyers present the previous day had understood the spirit in which the remarks were made.
Justice Shankar further said the clarification was meant for all those reporting on court proceedings. He underlined that the court was not seeking to curb or silence the media, but urged reporters to be mindful of the consequences of selective reporting.
Referring to the previous day’s hearing, he noted that a single paragraph from the oral observations had been taken out of context and circulated separately, leading to a flood of reactions and hate messages on social media. He cautioned that if such outcomes continued, it could discourage judges from interacting freely during hearings.
The court’s clarification comes amid ongoing debate over the tone of judicial oral remarks and their impact when amplified beyond the courtroom.
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Man arrested with Rs 2.54-crore heroin in Mumbai
Mumbai (PTI): Police have arrested a man and seized over 500 grams of heroin worth Rs 2.54 crore in the illicit market from him in Mumbai, officials said on Friday.
The police's Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) made the drug seizure in Santacruz in the western suburbs. The operation was conducted by the Kandivali unit of the ANC on Thursday as part of a special crackdown against drug trafficking in the area, they said.
Acting on specific inputs, an ANC team conducted a raid in Santacruz (East) and intercepted a man. During a search, the team recovered 508 grams of high-grade heroin from his possession, an official said.
The seized contraband, a highly addictive, opioid drug derived from morphine, is estimated to be worth Rs 2.54 crore in the international market, he informed.
Following the seizure, a case was registered against the man under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and he was formally placed under arrest in the early hours of Friday.
The police are currently investigating the source of the drug and trying to identify the intended recipients of the consignment, he said.
