'taking democracy backward' cji ramana slams trial by media

'taking democracy backward' cji ramana slams trial by media

NEW DELHI: Chief Justice of India NV Ramana on Saturday came down heavily on the tendency of ‘trial by media’ and agenda-driven debates, particularly in the electronic media.

Justice Ramana said the media often passes verdict on issues that even experienced judges find difficult to decide.

‘Of late, we see media running kangaroo courts, at times on issues even experienced judges find difficult to decide. Ill-informed and agenda driven debates on issues involving justice delivery are proving to be detrimental to health of democracy,’ he said while speaking at an event at the Jharkhand high court in Ranchi.

He was particularly harsh on the electronic media, saying it has ‘zero accountability.’

‘Biased views being propagated by media are affecting the people, weakening democracy, and harming the system. In this process, justice delivery gets adversely affected. By overstepping and breaching your responsibility, you are taking our democracy two steps backward. Print media still has a certain degree of accountability, whereas electronic media has zero accountability,’ the chief justice said.

The Chief Justice also lashed out at false narratives in the media about ‘easy lives led by judges.’ He pointed at ‘prioritising matters for adjudication’ as a challenge before the Indian judiciary.

‘One of the biggest challenges before current day judiciary is prioritising matters for adjudication. The judges can't turn a blind eye to the social realities. The judge has to give priority to pressing matters in order to save the system from avoidable conflicts and burdens,’ he said.

Justice Ramana also insisted on the need for media to self-regulate. ‘Looking at recent trends, it is best for the media to self-regulate and measure their words. You should not overstep and invite interference, either from the government or from the courts,’ he said.

He also raised concerns about judges losing their security cover after retirement.

‘Can you imagine, a judge who has served on the bench for decades, putting hardened criminals behind the bar, once he retires, loses all the protection that came with the tenure? Judges have to live in the same society as the people that they have convicted, without any security or assurance of safety,’ he noted.