No media gag on reporting Sohrabuddin trial: Bombay HC

The Bombay High Court has set aside an order of the CBI court which barred the media from covering the trial of the 2005 Sohrabuddin Shaikh encounter case.

A case being sensational in nature cannot be a ground to ban the media from reporting it, the court held. Further the court also said that the matter of judge Loya's death is not connected with this matter. Hence the alleged misreporting of that matter is also not a ground to prevent the media from covering the trial.

The CBI court had gagged the media from publishing proceedings relating to the trial based on an application moved by one of the accused. The accused, Abdul Rehman, a police inspector from Rajasthan had sought a gag on the media and the same was supported by the rest of the accused.

The defence had contended that the media report would prejudice their case. They had alleged that media has already misreported this case by publishing reports claiming that Judge B H Loya's death was unnatural, a claim which the family of Judge Loya has denied. Judge Loya was handling the Sohrabuddin encounter case.

The Bombay High Court however rejected the contention and said that the matter relating to Loya had nothing to do with the Sohrabuddin trial. Mere apprehension of the accused that the media may sensationalise the matter is not a ground to ban the coverage of the trial, the HC also noted.

OneIndia News