KOCHI: Cautioning the media against the harm caused to a litigant’s dignity and reputation through unjustified comments, the Kerala High Court on Thursday hoped that the media would adopt a code of responsible journalistic conduct to report the news.
The newly recognised fundamental right to privacy, which takes within its fold the right to protect one’s reputation as well, would merit classification as a fundamental right that protects an individual, not only against arbitrary state action but also against the actions of other citizens, such as the press or media, the court observed.
The division bench, comprising Justice A K Jayasankaran Nambiar and Justice Muhammed Nias C P, made the observations taking note of the media attention that Priya Varghese’s case received while it was adjudicated before the single judge.
The court observed that the media cannot be unmindful of the harm that is caused to a litigant’s dignity and reputation through unjustified comments, often based on the oral remarks made by a judge during the adjudication proceedings, notwithstanding that the litigant ultimately succeeds in those proceedings.
“Frighteningly frequent are those occasions when the impugned decision in academic matters attracts media attention for some reason or the other, and the court has then to deal with the added distraction brought about through incessant newspaper/channel discussions and overwhelming social media posts”, the Bench observed.
It was for this reason that courts have time and again exhorted the print and electronic media to exercise restraint by deferring discussions on matters pending before the court so that the rule of law can be better served by avoiding obstruction of the course of justice. “We trust, therefore, that the media will take note of these observations and adopt a code of responsible journalistic conduct that will inform news reporting in the days to come,” the court said.