Media should be allowed to report oral observations, says Supreme Court to ECI

May 3: The media cannot be stopped from reporting any court hearing and “must report fully” what happens in court, said the Supreme Court on Monday while hearing a plea made by the Election Commission of India against Madras High Court.

The Election Commission, on Saturday, approached the Supreme Court challenging the Madras High Court’s order where it lambasted the poll panel for its failure to maintain COVID-19 protocol during election campaigns in four states and a Union Territory and said that the poll panel “should be put up on murder charges” for being the “most irresponsible institution”.

A bench of justices D Y Chandrachud and M R Shah said it did not want to “demoralise” the high courts as they are vital pillars of the democracy, and the various critical remarks, as alleged by the Election Commission, are often said in an open dialogue between the bar and the bench.

“Without any opportunity (given) to the Election Commission or any reply being sought from officers responsible under the Disaster Management Act, we have been castigated,” the election body argued today. The Election Commission countered that it was “a conclusion not a dialogue” and the observations were not in the final order. “Everything cannot be put in the order? It is a human process,” responded Justice MR Shah. The Supreme Court is supposed to pronounce an order later this week.