THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Coming down heavily on the ban on media from reporting court proceedings, Speaker P Sreeramakrishnan on Thursday termed it a ‘denial of Right to Information’ and sought the creative intervention of the Chief Justice of Kerala High Court to resolve the matter.
In a letter to the Chief Justice, Sreeramakrishnan pointed out that the unrest continuing in courts, despite meaningful efforts by the Chief Minister and Chief Justice and the intervention by HC registrar to end it, was not appropriate in a democratic system.
“There should be a free and fearless atmosphere for journalists to cover court proceedings. The tussle between media and advocates is unfortunate and inappropriate. Following the issue, media is unable to independently report court proceedings, including court verdicts,” Sreeramakrishnan wrote.
He also pointed out that article 19(1) of the Constitution guaranteed freedom of expression.
“The right to know is essential for a creative democracy. An independent media is essential for the same,” he said. As an Legislative Assembly representative, the Speaker requested the Chief Justice to give special attention to the issue, saying that people expected a creative intervention from the head of judiciary in Kerala.