High Court asks media to follow guidelines

NEW DELHI: The TV news channel which had aired a fake sting operation on a woman school teacher alleging she was involved in a sex racket was let off on Friday by the Delhi High Court which cautioned the electronic media against indulging in such practises for TRP rating but found nothing wrong with exposes as such.
   
"Such incidents should not happen and false and fabricated sting operation, directly influencing upon a person's right to privacy, should not recur because of desire to earn more and to have higher TRP (television rating points) rating," a Bench comprising Chief Justice M K Sharma and Justice Sanjeev Khanna said.
    
However, the court was not against sting operations as such.

"No doubt the media is well within its right domain when it seeks to use tools of investigative journalism to bring us face to face with the ugly underbelly of the society," the Bench said.

"There is no doubt and there is no second opinion that truth is required to be shown to the public in their interest and the same can be shown whether in the nature of sting operation or otherwise but we feel that entrapment of any person should not be resorted to and should not be permitted," the Court said.
   
The Bench passed the order on a suo motu matter which it took into cognisance on the basis of media reports alleging that the sting operation aired by 'Live India' was fake and the school teacher Uma Khurana was falsely entrapped by the reporter of the channel.
   
The channel had telecast the sting on August 30, depicting Khurana as forcing her students to indulge in sex racket.