Delhi HC seeks updated status report from Centre on Rakul Preet's plea
Dec 11, 2020
New Delhi [India], December 11 : The Delhi High Court on Friday directed Centre to file an updated status report on the plea of Bollywood Actor Rakul Preet Singh, whose name surfaced in a drug case related to the death of Sushant Singh Rajput, seeking directions to ensure that the media does not broadcast or publish any news relating to her in the case.
A single-judge bench of Justice Navin Chawla asked that the News Broadcasters Association's (NBA) order be placed on record along with an updated status report and listed the matter for further hearing on March 4.
Advocate Aman Hingorani, appearing for Rakul Preet Singh, said that the NBA order was uploaded on its website on December 10 and within seven days, they have to be sent to the Central government.
Hingorani added that it is now for the Centre to say what it is doing. "Some channels are not members of the NBA," he added.
The court was hearing Rakul Preet Singh's petition alleging that the media has continued their "slander campaign" by not only re-broadcasting and reporting the earlier falsehoods but attributing statements to her during the investigation, which she claimed that she never made to the Narcotics Control Bureau probing the matter.
The petition was filed by advocates Aman Hingorani, Shweta Hingorani, and Himanshu Yadav. It said she will continue to suffer irreparable loss and injury that cannot be compensated in terms of money should such ad-interim direction not be granted.
Earlier, she had filed another petition seeking directions not to telecast or publish on TV channels and other platforms any content related to the narcotic drugs case that maligns or slanders her image.
The High Court had, on the matter, issued notice to the Central government, Prasar Bharati, Press Council of India and NBA. It had also directed the Centre, Prasar Bharati and NBA to consider Rakul Preet Singh's plea as a representation and expeditiously decide it including any interim directions that ought to be issued.
The High Court had also expressed hope that TV channels shall show restraint and abide by the program code and other guidelines while making any report in connection with Rakul Preet. Both the petitions are being heard together now.
The Centre government had earlier submitted that an order of pre-censorship ought not to be passed and that there has been no complaint from her under the Cable TV Act.
