SC passes order to summon 3 editors of State dailies
Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, December 09 2015:
During the final hearing of Manipur "fake encounter" case before the social justice bench comprising of Jutice Madan Lokur and Justice U Lalit, it was informed that there was a news item published by a national web site in which it was reported that "Supreme Court has directed prosecution against army" .
Sources in Delhi told Hueiyen Lanpao that the Supreme Court had made it very clear that no such order was passed by the Apex Court and the report "amounts to misleading the Court proceeding" .
The source informed that the person responsible for "this piece of news" had appeared before the social justice bench and he sought apology from the Supreme Court.
The Apex Court has also warned him not to repeat filing such false information in future.
On the instruction of Supreme Court, he submitted a letter praying that he would not repeat the same in future.
Meanwhile, it has been informed that the bench also came to know that the translated version of the same "piece of news" was also published by a local language daily in Imphal.
Sources said that the counsel of Manipur also brought to the notice of the Apex Court that two more English dailies published a news report based on press release issued by a proscribed outfit that have allegedly countered the Government of India Attorney General's submission earlier before the Apex Court.
The two dailies published the report on December 8 last.
The Court took serious note on the issue and passed an order to summon the editors of the one Manipuri daily and two English dailies published from Imphal.
The source stated it was made clear that under the Indian Penal Code, such offense can be charged under Section 201 which causes "disappearance of evidence of offence, or giving false information to screen offender and Section 228 which states that Intentional insult or interruption to public servant sitting in judicial proceeding...Whoever intentionally offers any insult, or causes any interruption to any public servant, while such public servant is sitting in any stage of a judicial proceeding" .