Southern States - Karnataka   

HC asks newspapers to reply in two weeks

By Our Staff Reporter

BANGALORE JAN. 8. A Full Bench of the Karnataka High Court today directed 52 persons from 13 publications to file their reply to the criminal contempt of court notice issued suo motu by the Court within two weeks. The court adjourned the hearing on the contempt petition to January 22. The Bench, comprising T.S.Thakur, H.L.Dattu, and V.G.Sabhahit, passed the order following the notice in response to a series of reports published in newspapers and publications on the Mysore episode, allegedly involving some judges of the High Court. The Bench said no further time would be given if the respondents failed to reply within two weeks.

Meanwhile, the Bench directed the Registry of the High Court to re-do the cause title of the petition, specifically mentioning the names and designations of the respondents. The petition did not mention the names of reporters as well as some other respondents.

The Bench did not pass any order on applications filed by the respondents seeking exemption from their personal appearance in further hearings. However, it exempted a few of the respondents, who could not appear before the court on Wednesday, for unavoidable reasons. It said the prayer regarding exemption from personal appearance would be considered after the replies were filed.

The Court asked the Director-General of Police to arrange to serve fresh contempt notices on the Editor, Printer, Publisher, and Reporter of Outlook magazine. The notices could not be served as the magazine had shifted its office in Bangalore.

The respondents included the editors, printers, reporters and publishers of The Times of India, The New Indian Express, Kannada Prabha, The Hindu, Deccan Herald, Prajavani, Vijay Karnataka, Udayavani, Lankesh Patrike, Agni, Nota, The Week, and Outlook.

When the Bench asked why the reply was not ready, counsel for The Times of India, Uday Holla, said it was waiting for a report from the three-member judges' committee constituted by the Chief Justice of India to probe the alleged incident. The Bench said the committee had no relevance to the contempt proceedings.

When Mr. Holla sought time to file the reply on the ground that his client had to collect material, the Bench asked counsel if the reports were written without any material. Mr. Holla replied that the reports were based on material, but time was needed to arrange them in an order. The same question was posed to Ramadas, counsel for Deccan Herald and Prajavani. B.V.Acharya, senior counsel and former Advocate-General, appearing for The Hindu, sought exemption from personal appearance for the Editor.

On December 5, the Bench ordered issue of notices on suo motu petition moved by the Registrar-General, asking the respondents to show cause why criminal contempt of court proceedings should not be initiated against them.

H.S.Balaram, Resident Editor, The Times of India, Shantanu Datta, Resident Editor, The New Indian Express, Venkatanarayana, Editor, Kannada Prabha, K.N.Shanth Kumar, Editor, Deccan Herald and Prajavani, Vishweshwar Bhat, Editor, Vijay Karnataka, Vijay Sankeshwar, Printer and Publisher of Vijay Karnataka, N.Ravi, Editor, The Hindu, Poornima, Resident Editor, Udayavani, Gowri Lankesh, Editor, Lankesh Patrike, Sridhar, Editor, Agni, T.K.Thyagaraj, Editor, Nota, printers, publishers, and reporters of the respective publications were present.

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