Al Jazeera agrees to deposit ₹10 lakh with Delhi High Court for revealing identity of 2018 Kathua rape case

Qatar-based Al Jazeera Network informed recently informed the Delhi High Court that it will deposit ₹10 lakh for allegedly revealing the identity of the victim of 2018 Kathua rape and murder case..Al Jazeera’s counsel appeared before the High Court on Monday and said that the organisation was not served notice earlier due to an error in its name in the petition. However, after the court issued fresh notice to them, they have prepared a demand draft and the same will be deposited in two days.After noting the submission, a bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad ordered the Registrar General to transfer the money deposited by all the guilty media houses including Al Jazeera to the Jammu & Kashmir State Legal Services Authority.“The Registrar General of this Court is directed to transmit the amounts so deposited by Respondents No.8, 28 and by other Respondents in the present case, if any such amount is still lying with the Court, to the Victim Compensation Fund maintained by the Jammu & Kashmir State Legal Services Authority for disbursement of funds to the victims/families of the deceased victims of sexual violence,” the court ordered..Back in April 2018, the High Court had taken suo motu cognizance of the coverage of the Kathua rape case by the media. It named nearly two dozen networks and publications including NDTV, CNN-News 18, Times of India and Hindustan Times, among others, for violating norms and provisions of the Protection of Children Against Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act that call for safeguarding the identity of minor victims.It directed these media companies to deposit ₹10 lakh each with the High Court. This amount was to be later transferred to the Jammu & Kashmir State Legal Services Authority for disbursement to the victims and families of deceased victims of sexual violence..Since every news outlet paid the amount, the court disposed of the PIL..Senior Advocate Rajshekhar Rao appeared as amicus curiae. He was assisted by advocate Areeb Amanullah.Advocates Nitesh Jain, Rajat Jariwal and Saniya Mivani appeared for Al Jazeera.Advocates Monika Arora and Yesh Tyagi appeared for UOI.Advocates Anindita Pujari and Rajendra Singh Rana appeared for other respondents. .[Read Order]