Kolkata doctor rape-murder: The Supreme Court, on Tuesday, issued a stern directive to all social media platforms and electronic media, mandating the immediate removal of any content revealing the identity of the deceased in the RG Kar Hospital case. This includes the name, photographs, and video clips related to the victim. The order was delivered by a bench headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, with Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra also presiding. The bench took serious note of the fact that the identity of the victim had been widely published across various media platforms, which led the court to take this action.
The Supreme Court emphasised that it felt compelled to issue this injunctive order due to the irresponsible dissemination of the deceased's identity and images by social and electronic media. The court's decision comes in response to the widespread circulation of photographs of the victim's body following its recovery, which the court deemed a violation of privacy and dignity.
What the apex court said?
"We accordingly direct that all references to the name of the deceased in the above incident, photographs and video clips shall forthwith be removed from all social media platforms and electronic media in compliance with this order," the top court said. The top court was hearing a petition, which raised the issue that photographs of the body of the deceased, including video clips, have been circulating on social media and electronic platforms.
The top court's decision comes after a petition raised serious concerns regarding the widespread dissemination of the deceased's identity and related hashtags following the tragic incident. The grievance brought before the Supreme Court pointed out that both electronic and social media platforms have extensively circulated the victim's name, violating established legal norms.
The petition highlighted that the circulation of the victim's identity is in direct contravention of the Supreme Court’s 2018 judgment in the Nipun Saxena case. In that landmark ruling, the apex court explicitly prohibited the printing or publishing of the victim's name in any form -- whether in print, electronic, or social media. The court had also ruled that no details should be disclosed that could potentially lead to the identification of the victim, thereby ensuring her privacy is preserved and her identity remains confidential.
Kolkata doctor rape-murder case
It is pertinent here that a postgraduate trainee doctor was allegedly raped and murdered while on duty at the hospital on August 9. Later, the semi-naked body of the 32-year-old woman was found in the seminar hall of the government-run hospital in Kolkata. A civic volunteer was arrested by the Kolkata Police the following day for his alleged involvement in the rape-murder incident. The case is currently being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
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