‘Can’t Stop Media From Reporting’: SC on Election Commission Plea

The poll body had moved the Supreme Court against what it called ‘blatantly disparaging remarks’ by Madras HC.

The media is a powerful watchdog in a democracy and cannot be stopped from reporting on discussions in higher courts, the Supreme Court said on Monday, 3 May, while hearing a plea by the Election Commission to refrain the media from reporting on oral observations of the courts.

Calling this plea 'far-fetched', the court also said it doesn't want to demoralise High Courts as they are are vital pillars of democracy.

The poll body had moved the Supreme Court on 1 May against what it called 'blatantly disparaging remarks' by the Madras High Court, over holding polls amid the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.

Agreeing that the high court’s “murder charges” remarks were quite strong, the top court also said: