New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed for the removal of the name, photos and videos of a woman doctor, who was raped and murdered at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, from all social media platforms.
The body of a woman doctor, a second-year PG medical student, was found inside the seminar hall of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata last week and the preliminary autopsy indicated that she was sexually assaulted before her murder.
Apex court expressed concerns at circulation of pictures and video clips of body of the deceased on social media
A bench comprising Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, while ordering for removal of the name, photos and videos, expressed concerns at the circulation of pictures and video clips of the body of the deceased on social media and said that disclosure of the identity of a victim of sexual assault is a violation of its order passed in the Nipun Saxena case.
“The pictures and video clips of the body of the deceased has been circulating on social media…we direct that name, photographs and video clippings of the deceased be immediately removed from all social media platforms,” the top court bench said while hearing a plea filed by lawyer Kinnori Ghosh and others against the disclosure of the victim doctor’s identity on social media.
Photographs and video clips are all over the media, apex court earlier in the day also expressed concerns
The Supreme Court, which on its own accord took cognisance of the matter last week, earlier in the day while hearing the suo motu cognisance expressed its concerns on the publication of the name of the deceased all over social media and said that there are judgments of the court like in the Nipun Saxena case that names of survivors of sexual assault will not be published.
“Photographs and video clips are all over the media. This is extremely concerning. We are first to recognise free speech but there are well-settled parameters. There are judgments of the court like in Nipun Saxena (case) that names of survivors of sexual assault will not be published,” the bench said earlier in the day.
What did apex court direct in Nipun Saxena judgment?
As per the apex court’s Nipun Saxena judgment, “No person can print or publish in print, electronic, social media, etc. the name of the victim or even in a remote manner disclose any facts which can lead to the victim being identified and which should make her identity known to the public at large.”
Apex Court on Tuesday set up a 10-member national task force to deal with issue of violence against medical professionals
The Supreme Court, while hearing the suo motu cognisance, expressed its deep concern at the incident and safety of doctors across the country and also expressed unhappiness with the Kolkata Police and the state government over the unexplained delay in filing a case of murder and rape in the incident. The top court also constituted a 10-member National Task Force to formulate a national protocol for ensuring safety and facilities to doctors and healthcare staff in hospitals, securing hospitals from unruly persons, adequate rest rooms and duty rooms for doctors and healthcare staff.
