Courts Must Instantly Stop Onslaught On Media, Raids Due To Independent Reporting Illegal : Justice RF Nariman

Former Supreme Court judge Justice Rohinton Nariman said that the Courts must be vigilant to instantly stop the onslaught on the media. If raids are carried out against a media house because of some independent reporting done by it, then the Courts must declare such raids illegal and unconstitutonal on that ground alone, he said.

If the media is not protected, then we are finished, the former judge cautioned, stressing that the media is the watchdog.

Justice Nariman made these seminal observations while delivering the delivering the Smt Bansari Sheth Endowment Lecture on 'Constitution: Check And Balances'.

He started the lecture by saying that some of the recent happenings in the country are very disturbing. Firstly, he cited the example of tax raids carried out against the BBC, after they broadcasted a documentary about the Prime Minister.

"Firstly, in the beginning of the year, there was this BBC documentary, which was speaking about our present Prime Minister and former Chief Minster of Gujarat, which was promptly banned. And after the ban, the BBC was harassed by having the tax raids upon it," he said.

Justice Nariman said that the Courts must be swift in acting against onslaughts on media. The moment there is any onslaught on the media, the Courts must be vigilant to instantly stop it.

"The moment there is any onslaught on the media, the Courts must be vigilant to instantly scotch it. If you find that there is some independent reporting which has led to something as a result of which there is a tax raid then for that reason alone you must say that the tax raid is illegal and unconstitutional. That is the only way you can protect the media and this country. Otherwise, you are finished. It is the watchdog. It is our watchdog and if our watchdog is killed then there is nothing that remains."

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The video of the lecture can be watched here.