The chairman of the administrative reforms committee, V S Achuthanandan, and Kerala assembly speaker Sreeramakrishnan have come down heavily on the ‘ban on media’ from reporting court proceedings in Kerala.
Achutanandan said on Thursday that he would write to Kerala chief justice Mohan Shantanagoudar àbout this. Condemning the recent attack on media by advocates in Thiruvananthapuran Vigiliance court VS said, “I strongly oppose the ban on media in entering court or court premises. I am not sure who is behind all this, but the case lodged against women journalists is deplorable,“ he told reporters, The Times of India reports.
Meanwhile Speaker also wrote to the chief justice to intervene in the issue and he claimed that the unrest continuing in the courts despite the efforts made by the Chief Minister and Chief Justice to solve it is against democracy. He termed this as ‘denial of Right to Information’.
“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 in the letter as reported by The New Indian Express.
“The right to know is essential for a creative democracy. An independent media is essential for the same,” he added.