Hours after a global body of news publishers WAN-IFRA raised “regret” over the ban on media persons inside court premises in Kerala, the High Court administration denied that there was a ban in place.

In a letter sent to the Kerala High Court Chief Justice and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday, the organization demanded that the restrictions on media in covering court proceedings be lifted.

Pointing out that the organization was deeply concerned over the attacks on journalists, the organization appealed the chief justice to intervene in the matter.

“In any democratic country, especially India, an independent media plays a pivotal role in disseminating information to the public concerning the fair and impartial functioning of an independent judiciary . We are disturbed to learn that journalists have been denied entry to courtrooms to cover proceedings, instead forcing them to rely on information provided to them by the public relations officer of the Kerala high court,“ WAN-IFRA president Tomas Brunegard and World Editors Forum president Marcelo Rech stated in the joint letter.

The organization also called for a thorough investigation into the violence directed at the journalists.

However, a press note released by the High Court administration on Friday denies any restriction on media persons.

The letter, duly signed by Registrar General Ashok Menon, clarified that there was no restriction in the entry of journalists to any court in the state. 

It added that attempts to dissolve the issues between the journalists and members of the bar are in progress.