MEDIA AND THE POLICE MACHINERY- PARALLEL COURTS TO TRY ACCUSED?

Its been quite some time that this article was published in a daily......nevertheless , it looks like an interesting way to begin...

“Masala”, “TRP`s” and “Make overs”- does that ring a bell? To an average Indian, Yes!! Those sound as the keywords to a blockbuster television daily. Sorry Ekta ji, that’s not the case anymore, looks like you have competition in your own backyard. And who dares the soap queen? No, not reality shows, not IPL, but the very essence of the fourth pillar of our democracy, the media !
No prizes for guessing that this article focuses on the murder of Aarushi Talwar and Hemraj. Sector 25 in Noida gained limelight on the 16th of May this year for all the wrong reasons. The daughter of Dr. Talwar was found dead in her bedroom. And the suspect…. Her very own father. What followed was a non- stop coverage of the events that circled the murder, the weapon, the killers. They say the media can either make or break a star (villain)! Covering public opinion about the case a few days back would have revealed the viewers anger…..they would demand Mr. Talwar to be hanged to death, some would have gone to the extent of suggesting worse punishments. And the reasons for this ever rising anguish…? Hours of frequency waves on some really inquisitive news channels poking around the lives of those in the family at a wild hogs pace. Mr. Talwar was turned into a villain within no time. Honor killings, sexual relations of the daughter, all with no evidence at all were blown out of proportion. One news channel in particular, had every second day, dedicating their prime time to the murders. The hosts discussed the murder amongst themselves, made wild guesses about the killer, about the relationship of aarushi with hemraj, about the place where the weapon might have been hidden, even recreating scenes showing men involved in a scuffle with aarushi in bed and finally killing her. Where did all these fancy, filmy ideas crop up? Looks like “make overs “of crimes and crime scenes are the words that fit in as a reply to that question, the make-up men, stylist and designers being the channels themselves.
Shift scenes to the interview of a high profile officer in the noida police in connection to the same case. All the Q and A`s of the press conference go well until, this supposed to be responsible officer points out to the character of Dr. Talwar himself. With what proof one might ask, no one, except Mr. IGP will have an answer to that, which keeping in compliance with the norms may be answered before the inquiry committee!
Our constitution guarantees us the fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression. This freedom mutually applies to receiving and imparting information. Our media and the press have been considered to be the factors exercising checks and balances on the system. The constitution provides the limits of this freedom as well. But considering the very factual scenario at hand and the extent to which the media can exert itself, one might wonder as to who, why, how and when the media would be held accountable for its acts. In its attempt to create a check on crimes, or for that matter balance proportionalities with respect to the criminal justice system, the dividing line between the Courts of law and the media is on the verge of extinction. Recent acts of some news channels point out in the terrific direction of creating a parallel judiciary in the country where a person, even before being named a suspect is impliedly declared to be a criminal. Bias that is created in the mind of a judge when he decides a case disqualifies him from sitting as a judge in that case ,as bias, even in its im-purest form jolts the very basis of natural justice. On a lighter note, with no pun intended, judges would be the happiest not to watch news a day before the bench sits, to maintain the quintessence, spirit and purity of the profession.
As far as I know, the judiciary of the country, with due respect, cannot be held accountable for its acts, the reasons being trust, faith and confidence within it forming the very basis of its existence and acceptance. The media on the other hand, needs a scrutiny at a high level, its susceptibility to economic benefits, viewership increment giving a boost to the aforementioned steps.
One cannot forget the contributions of the media in bringing to the fore cases of Priyadarshini Mattu, Jessica lal, The Nanda BMW accident, and the Nitish Katara case, but a saint, however saintly he is, cannot be forgiven for the rape he commits. The reputation of the Talwar family is not less than raped. Raped by some private news channels, every time they flashed the talwar residence like a terrorist hideout; raped by journalist, every time they asked Mrs. Talwar whether the father of her daughter had murdered her; raped by the elements of the police machinery, when they pointed out the character of the father; and raped by you, me and all, every time we accepted what these idiot boxes said to us.
It`s been 50 days of innumerable mental torture, grief, pain and defamation for the Talwar family. Nothing can get them their repute back. Unfortunate is the father who lost his daughter to a brutal murder, but more unfortunate is a father who couldn’t mourn for his dead daughter in peace. Let the father and the family have private space, let the sector area cordon off any media from the aarushi issue, let their tears flow in grief and remembrance of their beloved, as that and that alone, shall give them the strength to face this merciless world.