Press freedom doesn't mean Journalists can't be questioned: SC
Freedom of the press doesn’t mean that a journalist should not be asked questions, the Supreme Court observed on Monday.During the Supreme Court’s hearing of Maharashtra’s challenge on the Bombay High courts stay on its investigation against Republic TV editor Arnab Goswami based on a pair of FIRs filed against him for allegedly inciting communal hatred through coverage of the Palghar Lynching and the gathering of Migrants at a Bus station in Bandra during the Covid-19 Lockdown.
Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi appearing for the state of Maharashtra asked the court how the case could be stayed after taking the court through the transcripts of the Republic TV broadcasts in question.
“Arnab Goswami will not be arrested if the investigation is revived,” he assured the court. “Message should not go that some people are above the law.
To this, chief justice SA Bobde responded, “While nobody is above the law, some people are targeted with higher intensity. There is a culture these days that some people need a higher degree of protection.”
Responding to Goswami’s counsel, Harish Salve, the CJI observed that while the court agreed that freedom of the press was crucial, “we don't appreciate the submission that as a person from the media your client should not be asked any question...Nobody is immune to being questioned.”
“There has to be responsibility in reporting. There are some areas one has to tread with caution,” the CJI said,
Salve replied that he agreed with the court, but the FIRs against Goswami were not genuine and “shouldn’t be taken at face value”.
The court asked the Maharashtra government to submit a list of FIRs filed against Goswami and posted the matter for hearing after two weeks.
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J&K: One dead, seven hospitalised after consuming wild vegetable in Rajouri
Rajouri/Jammu (PTI): One person died while seven others, mostly children, were hospitalised after allegedly consuming a wild vegetable in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district, officials said on Saturday.
The incident was reported from Mohra village in the Kotranka subdivision, where members of two families consumed a wild vegetable following which they started showing symptoms of food poisoning on Friday evening, they said.
The affected persons were initially shifted to the Community Health Centre in Kandi and later referred to the Government Medical College Hospital Rajouri for specialised treatment.
Officials said an elderly man, identified as Mohammad Hussain (60), died during treatment, while seven other members of the two families are undergoing treatment at the hospital.
“Prima facie, it is a case of food poisoning, but the matter is still under investigation,” a doctor said.
Officials said an investigation into the incident has been initiated to determine the exact cause of the poisoning.
