CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court has dismissed an interlocutory application (IA) filed by deputy chief minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo, seeking to restrain BJD leader Saroj Kumar Meher from making media statements regarding ongoing court proceedings related to the 2024 Patnagarh Assembly election.
Justice Ananda Chandra Behera held that citizens, including parties to a case, are within their rights to give statements regarding court proceedings, provided such information is accurate and does not prejudice the administration of justice.
Meher, a former BJD MLA who lost to Singh Deo in the 2024 polls, had filed a petition seeking declaration of the latter as void on the ground that the acceptance of the latter’s nomination papers by the returning officer was allegedly improper and violated statutory provisions.
In his IA, Singh Deo had alleged that Meher had made wrong and derogatory statements to the media about the election petition, which were published in vernacular newspapers on January 31, 2025. He claimed that the purported remarks tarnished his fair and unblemished image, and sought a temporary injunction against Meher from making any further media statements until the final disposal of the petition.
However, the court ruled that such an injunction would be legally unjustified. Justice Behera said the law authorises reporting court proceedings of the judicial institutions to bring the same to the knowledge of the public.