Sushant case: Ex-IPS officers urge High Court to rein in news channels
Mumbai: Eight former IPS officers have moved the Bombay High Court against the "unfair, malicious and false media campaign" against Mumbai Police in the Sushant Singh Rajput death case.
The "media trial" should be stopped, the plea urged the court.
The petitioners are former Maharashtra DGPs M N Singh, P S Pasricha, D K Sivanandan, Sanjiv Dayal, Satish Mathur and K Subramanyam, former Mumbai police commissioner D N Jadhav, and former additional DGP K P Raghuvanshi.
The petition, filed on August 31, said a section of news channels have been trying to influence the course of investigation which is being carried out by the CBI, ED and NCB, and airing false propaganda against Mumbai Police.
It sought a direction to media organisations to refrain from publishing or circulating false, derogatory and scandalous comments which may jeopardize the reputation of the city police.
"The media organisations should be directed to ensure that reporting of ongoing investigations is done in a balanced, ethical, unbiased and objective manner and to not turn such reporting into a media trial and a vilification campaign against the police and others," the petition said.
It also sought a direction to the concerned authorities to frame the guidelines to be followed by the media while reporting on such cases.
The petition is yet to be listed for hearing.
Rajput, a Bollywood star, was found hanging in his apartment in suburban Bandra on June 14.
While the Mumbai police registered an Accidental Death Report and started probe, his father on July 25 lodged a complaint with Patna Police alleging that the actor's girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty and her family members had abetted his suicide.
The case was later transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation. The Enforcement Directorate is probing allegations of money laundering against Rhea and her family; Narcotics Control Bureau is looking into claims that she used to consume drugs and also supply them to Rajput.
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SC asks Centre to consider amending law on terminating pregnancy of rape survivors
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Thursday took strong exception to a plea by AIIMS seeking to set aside its order allowing a 15-year-old girl to medically terminate her 30-week pregnancy, and asked the Centre to consider amending the law to permit rape survivors to terminate unwanted pregnancies even beyond 20 weeks.
The top court said when there is pregnancy due to rape, there should not be a time limit.
Law needs to be organic and in sync with evolving time, it stressed.
A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi said this is a case of child rape and the survivor will have a lifelong scar and trauma if termination is not allowed.
The top court said if the mother does not have permanent disability then it should be carried out.
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It asked AIIMS to counsel parents of the survivor over the issue and said the decision has to be of the person concerned.
"There are children for adoption. In this country we have lot of sympathies...There are deserted, abandoned children on the streets and even mafias on it. We have to look at them. This is an unwanted pregnancy of a 15-year-old child.
"This is a curative petition. Unwanted pregnancy cannot be thrusted on a person. Imagine she is a child. She should be studying now. But we want to make her a mother. Imagine the pain, the humiliation the child has suffered in this," the bench said.
Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, appearing for AIIMS, mentioned the curative plea, and said the termination of pregnancy is not possible.
"It will be a live baby with severe deformities. Minor mother will have lifelong health issues and cannot reproduce. Minor mother will have lifelong health issues. This child can be given for adoption. It has been 30 weeks now. It is a viable life now," she said.
The top court said the decision on termination has to choice of the survivor and her parents and AIIMS may help them take an informed decision.
On April 24, a bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan had allowed the girl to medically terminate her pregnancy of 30 weeks.
