Mehrauli murder: Court disposes of Delhi Police's plea against news channel
Darpan News Desk IANS, 20 Apr, 2023 10:40 AM
New Delhi, April 20 (ANS) A court on Thursday disposed of the Delhi Police's application seeking a restraining order against Aaj Tak and other media channels from telecasting material related to the charge sheet in the Shraddha Walkar murder case, saying as the Delhi High Court is seized of the matter, it no longer has jurisdiction over it.
The sessions court on Thursday disposed of police's plea seeking a restraining order to prevent news channels from utilising, in any form, any material related to the charge sheet in the murder case, where Aaftab Amin Poonawala is accused of strangling his live-in partner Walkar to death in the Mehrauli area, and then chopping her body into several pieces.
The Delhi Police had filed an application on April 10 and while dealing with it, Additional Sessions Judge Manisha Khurana Kakkar of the Saket Court Complex said that Special Public Prosecutor Amit Prasad had placed on record the Delhi High Court's order dated April 19 directing media channels to not publish or broadcast any content belonging to the charge sheet in the case.
"In view of the aforesaid order placed on record on behalf of the state, since Delhi High Court is seized of the present matter, therefore, this court does not have jurisdiction to entertain the application any further. The application is hereby disposed of," the judge said.
On April 17, the court had directed Aaj Tak news channel not to air the findings of the narco analysis and psychological evaluation done on Poonawala.
ASJ Kakkar had also granted the police liberty to approach a higher court for pursuing the remedy requested in their application for restraining news channels from airing or publishing any content related to the FIR registered in the case.
"The publication of the said document, especially the CCTV footage, can severely prejudice the right of fair trial of the accused as enshrined under Article 21 (protection to life and personal liberty) of the Constitution of India, and the channel cannot be allowed to telecast the content of the same so as to conduct a media trial," Kakkar had said.
She also cited a Delhi High Court ruling of 2001 that said the media has no place in the administration of justice once the proceedings have begun. The court had then taken note of an undertaking by the news channel's lawyer that it would not broadcast, publish, or otherwise make available the contents of the voice layered test, narco analysis, or conversation captured on Dr. Practo's App, for the following three days.
"You (Delhi Police) might also approach the constitutional court and exercise your remedy. You need an order that will help you with other channels also. It would be in your favour to get an order from a higher court," the judge had said.
SPP Prasad had claimed that because digital content is sensitive by nature, broadcasting it would jeopardise the accused's right to a fair trial in addition to having an adverse effect on law and order.
On April 10, the prosecution had claimed that such telecast would be damaging, not only for the case, but will also impact the accused and the family members of the victim.
On April 5, the ED had informed Judge Nagpal that it has found fresh evidence indicating Sisodia's involvement in the alleged excise scam, and the investigation is at a crucial stage. The court had extended AAP leader's custody till April 17 in this case.
In three separate incidents, the Customs Officials posted at Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport have arrested three persons who were supplying 3 kg gold worth Rs 1.68 crore. A Customs Official said that all three are Indian nationals who arrived from Middle East. They were intercepted and held on the basis of intelligence inputs.
A soldier died of a gunshot wound at around 4.30 p.m on Wednesday. He was on sentry duty with his service weapon. The weapon and cartridge case from the same weapon was found next to the soldier, it said. The gunshot wound was near the right temporal region. He was immediately evacuated to the Military Hospital, but succumbed to his injuries.
Alok Kumar, DCP Special Cell, said: "On April 8, acting on a secret information, the police laid a trap near Ghazipur Subzi Mandi and two key members of the syndicate were finally held with 2 kg of heroin." During questioning, Mohammad Alam disclosed that he had been supplying heroin for the last two years to different people in Delhi, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh.
In the last 24 hours, 441 doses were administered. The country has so far administered 220.66 crore vaccine doses. The active cases stand at 0.09 per cent and the recovery rate is 98.72 per cent.
"During checking, the police recovered 23 packets of heroin, weighing 24.295 kg, concealed in the enclosure of their car windows," the DGP said, adding that another chunk of 12 packets of heroin, weighing 12.620 kg, were recovered from the location disclosed by the accused.
