A Delhi court on Wednesday said the order restraining airing or broadcasting the controversial interview of a December 16 gangrape convict will continue till further orders. Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) Sanjay Khanagwal passed the ruling after the Delhi Police placed on record the restraining order passed by a Metropolitan Magistrate on Tuesday.
“Investigating officer (IO) of the case has moved an application for intimation submitting that on March 3, 2015, an application for preventing the media/internet from publishing, transmitting, telecasting and uploading the interview of one of the convicts of the Nirbhaya gangrape case was made before the duty Metropolitan Magistrate who has already been pleased to pass a restrain order till further orders,” the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) noted in its order. “Order dated March 3, 2015 of the on duty metropolitan magistrate Puneet Pahwa perused. Be kept on record,” it said.
The police, in its application filed before the court on Tuesday, had said that Mukesh Singh, the driver of the bus in which the 23-year-old paramedical student was brutally gangraped by six people on December 16, 2012, has made insulting, malicious and derogatory statements about women.
The police said telecasting the interview may lead to widespread public outcry and serious law and order problem, as had happened in the aftermath of the gangrape incident. During the hearing on Wednesday, the court said that police can take action, if required, in case anyone airs, publishes or broadcasts the interview.
On Tuesday, the Delhi Police had registered an FIR on the matter and thereafter obtained the restraining order. The matter pertains to an interview conducted by a British filmmaker leslee Udwin and BBC. The FIR was registered by the Delhi Police under IPC sections 505 (statements conducing to public mischief), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) 505(1)(b) (with intent to cause, or which is likely to cause, fear or alarm to the public), 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) and section 66A of the IT Act (punishment for sending offensive messages through communication service). Udwin had claimed that she took permission from the then Director General of Tihar jail Vimla Mehra to interview Mukesh in prison for BBC. The Delhi Police said it is probing the matter.