‘Do not carry out parallel trial in Sushant Singh Rajput’s case’: Press Council to media outlets

The Press Council of India on Friday said the media should adhere to the norms of journalistic conduct in covering cases that are under investigation. The council took a strong objection on the coverage of the death case of Actor Sushant Singh Rajput by several media outlets and asked not to carry out its own ‘parallel trial.’

“The media should not narrate the story in a manner so as to induce the general public to believe in the complicity of the person indicted,” the PCI said in its advisory.

The Council said it has noted with “distress that coverage of the alleged suicide by a film actor by many media outlets is in violation of the norms of journalistic conduct” and, therefore, advises the media to adhere to the norms framed by it.

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The council said it is not advisable to vigorously report crime related issues on a “day to day basis and comment on the evidence without ascertaining the factual matrix”. Such reporting brings undue pressure in the course of fair investigation and trial, it said.

“The media is advised to refrain from giving excessive publicity to the victim, witnesses, suspects, and accused as it will amount to invasion of their privacy rights,” the PCI said.

The PCI asserted that the media is advised not to “conduct its own parallel trial or foretell the decision to avoid pressure during investigation and trial”.

It said the reporting of Rajput’s death by some newspapers is also in violation of media norms formulated by the council on reporting suicide. The norm prohibits publishing stories about suicide prominently and advises the media not to unduly repeat such stories, the PCI said.

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The PCI asked the media to not to use sensational headlines or use photographs, video footage, or social media links while reporting on suicide cases.

Sushant Singh Rajput was found dead at his Bandra home on June 14. His death case was earlier being probed by the Mumbai police and is now being probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) after the Supreme Court upheld the transfer of an FIR last week.

The FIR was lodged by Rajput’s father Krishna Kumar Singh in Patna against Actor Rhea Chakraborty, accusing her of abetting his son’s suicide and cheating the late actor financially.