Muzaffarpur Shelter Home case: Patna HC restrains media from covering the investigation

Patna High Court has today restrained the media from reporting on the Muzaffarpur Shelter Home case stating that press reportage may hamper the investigation.

In the order passed by the Chief Justice of Patna High Court Mukesh R Shah and Justice Ravi Ranjan, the Court has stated that there has been extensive media coverage even as regards the investigation in the case.

“We have also noticed that in the media, both print media as well as electronic media, the reporting is made with respect to the case and even with respect to the investigation. The same may hamper the investigation very seriously.”

Noting that reportage of investigation already conducted has a potential to hamper the further investigation, the Court has restrained the media from coverage of the incident or its investigation. The order reads,

“Under the circumstances, till the investigation is completed, all the print and electronic media are hereby restrained from reporting anything with respect to the case, more particularly, with respect to the investigation already undertaken and/or which is likely to take place as it may seriously hamper the investigation of the case.”

The Court also touched upon the fact that the Investigating Officer in the case Superintendent of Police JP Mishra has been transferred at a time when the investigation in the case is underway. The Court has directed the CBI to place before the Court the reason for this transfer in a sealed cover.

“A serious grievance is made with respect to the transfer of the Investigating Officer/Superintendent of Police Sri J. P. Mishra and that too when the investigation has just begun and he has been transferred in the midst of the investigation.”

While fixing the next date of hearing on August 27, the Court directed the CBI to also submit a status report on the investigation. Additionally, the Court has also directed the State government as well as the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to ensure that the Court’s order on media restraint is complied with by everyone.

Earlier, the Supreme Court had requested the media to exercise restraint while reporting on this instant case and had asked the electronic media not to telecast any images of the victims even in morphed or blurred form.

The scope of this order of the Supreme Court was subsequently expanded when the Supreme Court Bench of Justices Madan Lokur and Deepak Gupta had imposed a blanket ban on publication of images of victims of sexual assault pan India by Print, electronic as well as social media.

Read Order: