Supreme Court Halts Gujarat HC’s Demand For Fresh Apology From Newspapers Over Misreporting
Last Updated on September 4, 2024 by NewsDesk SLC
The Supreme Court on Wednesday stayed a Gujarat High Court judgment which had directed Times of India, Indian Express, and Divya Bhaskar to issue fresh apologies for incorrect reporting of court proceedings. [Registrar Gujarat High Court v. Bennett Coleman and Co Ltd]
A bench of Justices BR Gavai, Prashant Kumar Mishra, and KV Viswanathan stayed the High Court order and issued a notice on an appeal filed by the ToI.
“Give notice and stay the impugned order. We make it clear that the writ proceedings may continue, ” the judge said.
On September 2, the Gujarat High Court rejected the petitions filed by the three newspapers seeking an apology for allegedly incorrect reporting of court proceedings.
Hence, ToI had filed an SLP before the apex court.
The August 23 apologies issued by the three publications, by previous orders of the High Court, were neither in strong font nor prominently displayed.
It had granted the media up to September 5th to make a fresh apology.
It was on the 13th of August that a notice was sent by the High Court to regional editors of three newspapers, who were asked to explain an “alleged “false and distorted narration” of court proceedings on the rights of sponsored minority institutions.
The three newspapers later regretted in their affidavits that were submitted to the court, but the court did not seem pleased.
An order was passed on August 22 by the Bench headed by Chief Justice Sunita Agarwal to publish an apology in the media that would go to amply make it clear that the reporter and editor misreported the views of the Court.” On August 23, the same course was adopted.
