Maulana Arshad Madani says irresponsible reporting not only benefits sectarian interests but also inflicts irreparable damage to the peace, calls the SC’s order ‘an important development’
Team Clarion
NEW DELHI — Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind president Maulana Arshad Madani hailed the Supreme Court’s order regarding media trials of Muslims, which strongly objects to “biased reporting” that prematurely gives rise to the public suspicion of a person’s guilt before a fair trial.
Taking strong exception to “media trials”, the Supreme Court on Thursday directed the Union government to prepare guidelines on media briefings by police within three months in order to protect the sanctity of the investigation and the rights of both the accused and the victim. A bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud said, “There is no denying the fact that disclosure of official version of investigation will ensure against speculative crime reporting which may be a disservice to public interest and interest of accused, witnesses, prospective witnesses and victims.”
The court’s ruling came in response to a petition filed by the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, which accused the media of bias against Muslims.
It is to be noted that the Jamiat has also been fighting a case in the top court for the last three years against biased reporting by the media. Maulana Arshad Madani stated: “The Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind filed a petition in the Supreme Court on April 7, 2020, against biased TV channels and sectarian print media for defaming the Tablighi Jamaat and Muslims. The aim was to spread hatred between Hindus and Muslims by linking the coronavirus to the Tablighi Jamaat Markaz at Nizamuddin.”
He informed that 15 hearings have been held so far, in which senior advocate Dushyant Dave, Sanjay Hegde and other lawyers have been appearing, but no final order has come yet. He alleged that the Central government is acting evasively and added that the Jamiat will keep fighting against the biased media until positive results are achieved with Allah’s blessing.
Responding to a question, Maulana Madani said that under the guise of freedom of expression vulnerable sections, including the Muslim community, are shamelessly being targeted by a vast section of media.
He said: “In recent years, the biased coverage by news media, particularly by the television news channels, has violated all the established norms of journalism. It has tirelessly engaged in tarnishing the image of the Muslim community.”
He added: “It is sad that instead of discussing the basic issues of the people, the news channels continue to spread hatred in a planned manner. Through debates and discussions such reports are being shown to create communal atmosphere in the society, and increase religious extremism.”
In the wake of irresponsible journalism, a large section of society becomes the judge in the case of minorities, especially Muslims, and other weaker sections of society, he said.
Maulana Madani cited various cases where news media outlets “present accused persons as criminals but adopt criminal silence when they are acquitted by the courts”. “This dual attitude of the media outlets raises questions about their loyalty to the country and their commitment to upholding constitutional values,” he observed.
“I am very hopeful that the top court will give an order on the petition of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind which will end this game of hatred forever,” he said and called the SC’s order an “important development”.
He expressed hope that the government will now not only understand the sensitivity and importance of this order but will also frame a regulation for the media. He concluded: Unrestrained and irresponsible reporting not only benefits sectarian interests but also inflicts irreparable damage to the peace and unity of the country.’
