Journos’ under judicial scanner

The professional neutrality of two journalists one in Delhi and the other in Srinagar have come under judicial scanner. While a Delhi based TV anchor challenging multiple FIRs filed against him in different parts of the country over a hate speech against Congress President Sonia Gandhi got immediate respite from the top court of country , the other one a book author and a noted newspaper editor accused of going against the country’s sovereignty did not get any respite from Jammu & Kashmir High Court. Interestingly both the cases are likely to be heard only after mid May as the Supreme Court has stayed the coercive action against Delhi based TV anchor for three weeks and Jammu & Kashmir High Court listed the case against Srinagar based book author and newspaper editor on May 20. Interestingly the TV anchor accused of hate remarks against Congress President Sonia Gandhi has come under criticism from people of all shades not once but several times in recent years and significantly none of the apex media bodies of the country choose to defend him on challenging multiple FIR s filed against him at different places across the country. On the contrary the apex media bodies of the country including Editors Guild Of India (EGI) and Press Council Of India (PCI) publicly defended the Srinagar based book author and newspaper editor facing charges of using social media against the country’s security and slammed Jammu & Kashmir police for registering a case against him. Finding only critics and no admirers from his own fraternity is a biggest disqualification for any journalist but no criticism and only admiration from all quarters speaks volumes about the professional integrity and neutrality of a journalist. Since the courts decide the cases on the basis of merit and evidences , the Delhi based TV anchor will have to produce critical evidence before the apex court of the country to prove his innocence in next three weeks.
While in the case of Delhi based TV anchor the response of the government will show it’s concern for the media neutrality, the reply of the government in the case of Srinagar based author and newspaper editor’s will show it’s intent of registering a police case against a journalist held in high esteem by both the people and as well as the media fraternity. A testing time for governments in Delhi and Jammu & Kashmir indeed. On the contrary the Jammu & Kashmir government will have to file a statement of facts to prove its charges against the Srinagar based author and newspaper editor before the Jammu & Kashmir High Court. Interesting would be the outcome of the judicial trial of the two journalists with one finding only critics but not even a single admirer from his own fraternity and the other getting tacit moral support from country’s two apex media bodies. While in the case of Delhi based TV anchor the response of the government will show it’s concern for the media neutrality, the reply of the government in the case of Srinagar based author and newspaper editor’s will show it’s intent of registering a police case against a journalist held in high esteem by both the people and as well as the media fraternity. A testing time for governments in Delhi and Jammu & Kashmir indeed.