The Supreme Court on Monday said it was ‘pained’ by the narrative suggesting that the judiciary was shielding the accused and assured an impartial probe into the death of model-actor Twisha Sharma.
The apex court said that the ‘unfortunate incident’ must be investigated fairly and in accordance with the law
The Court noted that a CBI probe into the sensational case has been recommended and recorded the Solicitor General’s assurance that a decision on handing over the investigation to the agency would be taken shortly.
The court also urged the media to exercise restraint while reporting developments in the case and requested that statements of the victim’s family not be recorded or reduced to “sound bites”, saying some actions had caused pain and the matter should be allowed to proceed as per legal process.
"We are slightly in pain because of some of the actions. We will request our media friends to not go for the statements of the victim's family or the other family," the court said.
"We request media not to record statements of the victim's family and reduce their pain to sound bites," the bench said, adding that a narrative should be avoided.
During the hearing, the Supreme Court also hailed the Madhya Pradesh High Court for promptly ordering a second autopsy in the case.
Counsel for the accused assured the bench that a former judge would not make statements to the media regarding the investigation.
Appearing for the Madhya Pradesh government, the Solicitor General submitted that media intervention had contributed to significant progress in the case and remarked that “it is better to have a divorced daughter than face such an unfortunate incident.”
"We would like to impress upon the family members of the victim as well as the accused that instead of making statements in public or before a media platform, they should get their versions recorded before the investigating agency so that no prejudice or adverse impact is had on the ongoing investigation," the bench said.
"We also request the media to avoid recording statements of persons who are likely to be potential witnesses, as it may unnecessarily impact the outcomes on certain issues which are to be investigated.
"We also request the public that they should refrain from speculation and to have trust and faith in one of the premier investigating agencies. We are sure that in due course of time it will take the investigation to a conclusion," it said while disposing of the suo motu case.
(With inputs from PTI)