New Delhi: On Tuesday, the Supreme Court ordered that the identity of the deceased victim of the Kolkata RG Kar Hospital incident in Kolkata be taken down from all electronic and social media platforms.
According to a bench led by CJI D.Y. Chandrachud, the name of the dead and associated hashtags have been extensively shared on electronic and social media platforms, such as Meta (Facebook and Instagram), YouTube, and X (previously Twitter).
Additionally, videos and images of the deceased’s body have been making the rounds on social media and electronic platforms.
“Plainly, this is in violation of the directives of this Court in Nipun Saxen & Anr Vs Union of India & Ors. This Court directed that the identity of victims of rape should be protected and the media, including the press, electronic and social media, shall not reveal their identity,” said the bench, also comprising Justices J.B. Pardiwala and Manoj Misra.
The apex court passed an injunctive order since the social and electronic media have proceeded to publish the identity of the deceased and photographs of the dead body after the recovery of the body.
“We accordingly direct that all references to the name of the deceased in the above incident, photographs and video clips shall forthwith be removed from all social media platforms and electronic media in compliance with this order,” it ordered, as it disposed of a plea instituted by members of the Bar.
Earlier in the day, the Supreme Court pulled up the West Bengal government over the publication of the name, photographs and video clips of the deceased victim.
“It is extremely concerning. We are first to recognise the right to free speech, but there are well-settled parameters,” it said.
In response, senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for the West Bengal government, said: “We have filed 50 FIRs. Before the police arrived, photos were taken and circulated. We did not allow anything to happen.”
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–IANS
