Senior journalist Rahul Pandita been charged with Defamation of Rs 75 lakh
- If journalists are left to face penalties in lakhs of rupees in damages, will it not have a chilling effect on free and fair reporting?
In a shocking order, a court in Mohali has passed a decree of Rs 75 lakh in damages in a defamation suit against senior journalist Rahul Pandita. Pandita had written a front-page story for The Hindu on December 13, 2014, describing a botched-up operation in Sukma, Chhattisgarh, when 14 CRPF men were killed in an attack by Naxal militants because of a failure of command.
Though a verified story, the IG of Police Harpreet Sidhu began legal proceedings against the journalist and the newspaper. The Hindu initially defended Pandita. However, later, in a dramatic turnaround, the newspaper reached a compromise and left Pandita to face the music. The Punjab & Haryana High Court has now stayed the decree against Pandita, but the matter raises serious questions:
– Isn’t it the duty of a news organisation to defend its team members for stories published after due verification?
– If journalists are left to face penalties in lakhs of rupees in damages, will it not have a chilling effect on free and fair reporting?
The Mumbai Press Club has written to the Editor and Publisher of The Hindu Group not to abandon Rahul Pandita in his legal battle and mount an organisational defence for truthful reporting.
