Media should not conduct parallel trial: SC judge

The press should not conduct its own parallel trial or give their evaluation of evidence and foretell the decision of the court...

The press should not conduct its own parallel trial or give their evaluation of evidence and foretell the decision of the court, said Justice Dalveer Bhandari, Supreme Court Judge, while addressing the students during a lecture series organised by Symbiosis International University at Symbiosis Vishwabhawan on Saturday.

Bhandari said, “In the Arushi murder case, before the investigations were over the media interviewed the officers. Though what they spoke to the media is not admissible in court, people believed it and her father became the most hated man in the world, a criminal before the verdict was out.”

Bhandari said, “In a free democracy, even the person who had assassinated the Father of the Nation also has right to a fair trial. The media is expected to not invade the rights of an individual or obstruct a fair trial. Their obligation of fair reporting becomes even more important when they know that the judiciary does not respond or the judges by and large do not respond because of the longstanding convention that the Judges speak only through their Judgements.”

He said that the time has come that every court should have a senior person who should assist the press in getting them the certified and other copies of the orders passed by the court, particularly in areas of larger public interest.

Speaking on the occasion Swatanter Kumar, Chief Justice of Bombay High Court said, “Undue stress on employment-oriented studies and result-oriented examination has its adverse effect on the overall quality of education. Assessment of teachers on the basis of pass per centage of their students compels a teacher to be exam-oriented resulting in mass production of mediocres.”

‘Don’t treat a witness like an accused’

* At the state conference on criminal Justice system organised by the Maharashtra Law Academy on Saturday, Bhandari said that witnesses should not be treated like accused as they assist in the delivery of justice. “A witness hesitates to depose before the court as he as to take leave from work and come to the court at 10 am and wait till 5 pm, only to know that his case has been adjourned. So the best the judges can do is if the case if going to come up for hearing at 3 pm, then call the witness at that time.” Bhandari pointed out that every court in India violates right to speedy trial, even the Supreme court is no exception. We should ensure that the trial should be completed in two years.