Chandigarh, Jan 8 (FN Bureau) A reporter’s sacrosanct duty is loyalty towards the citizenry and to ensure honest and correct reporting of actual events, journalists require protection of courts, especially constitutional courts, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has said. A bench of Justice Anoop Chikara has said that journalists “serve as independent monitors of power, reporting information for public good and safety, addressing any problems or lacunae in the public system for its effective functioning and immediate redressal.” The judge went on to add, “All courts must be more vigilant and proactive while safeguarding the interests of such courageous humans (journalists).” The court stated this while quashing summons against a few journalists on January 4.The court also quashed the subsequent proceedings in a criminal defamation case filed against the journalists.The Court said, “Journalism is the fourth pillar of any democracy”. In the fearless pursuit of their duties to uncover the truth and report the facts to the masses through media, these brave journalists do face various hurdles, e.g., pressures from influential parties, groups, or government agencies, etc. Such journalists require the protection of courts, especially constitutional courts, to enable them to publish news without fear of harmful consequences..”
Justice Chitkara further said, “Journalism is civilisation’s mirror and investigative journalism is its X-Ray. They serve as independent monitors of power, reporting information for public good and safety, All courts must be more vigilant and proactive while safeguarding their interests.Justice Chitkara, while quashing the summons, disposed of the petitions filed by Manraj Grewal (then Deputy News Editor, The Indian Express, Chandigarh), Vipin Pubby (then Editor – The Indian Express, Chandigarh), Swatantra Saxena (Ex-Special Correspondent, Dainik Tribune) and Barjinder Singh Hamdard (Managing Editor of Daily Ajit and Ajit Samachar). The Summons were issued to certain newspaper editors and journalists including the Indian Express Resident editor by a Gurgaon Court in criminal defamation proceedings initiated by a retired Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Param Veer Rathee, in 2008 who alleged that the newspapers published a defamatory article against him, in which he was named for taking bribe from an accused for recommending Police protection to him.