Justice VG Arun criticised the actions of certain media persons who he opined invade the privacy of persons by thinly veiling their personnel vendetta as a crusade for truth and justice
“No person, whether it be the media or Governmental agencies, have the right to peep into the private lives of the citizens of this country, without there being a valid reason. The personnel vendetta of certain media personalities or their so-called crusade for truth and justice, are no excuse for impinging the privacy of citizens. Every individual is entitled to perform his actions in private. He or she has the right to carry out his/her activities in life without being spied upon“, the Court said in its judgment.
The single-judge also referred to the Supreme Court judgment in KS Puttaswamy and Anr. v. Union of India and Ors. in which the top court had warned about the permanent nature of content that is uploaded on the internet.
However, a section of online media continue to publish sleaze more than news and a section of the public continue to devour it, the judge lamented while emphasising that online news channels have a duty to undertake due diligence before publishing such content.
“Therefore, the online news channels have a duty to ascertain the veracity of the news before making disparaging remarks against individuals and publishing videos of their personal lives. It is disheartening to note that, at least some online news channels are in the habit of publishing sleaze more than news. A section of the public also devours such sensational and salacious news,” the Court said.
Source: Barandbench
