personnel within three months. The bench, consisting of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, Justice PS Narasimha, and Justice Manoj Misra, has also instructed Director Generals of Police (DGPs) from all states to provide their input for the manual. Additionally, the court has called for the National Human Rights Commission’s (NHRC) input on this matter.
The court expressed concern about how ‘media trials’ impact the administration of justice and emphasized the need to determine at which stage of an investigation details should be disclosed. It acknowledged the importance of balancing the interests of the victim, the accused, and the public in media reports on crime-related matters.
The case involves two critical issues: procedures to be followed by the police in encounters and protocols for police media briefings during ongoing criminal investigations. While the former was addressed in the 2014 PUCL v. State of Maharashtra judgment, the court is now focused on the latter.
This development arises from a petition related to a 2017 instruction on the same subject, where the court had asked the government to frame rules for police briefings that safeguard the rights of both the accused and the victim, ensuring that neither side is prejudiced or violated. The court had given a six-week deadline to produce a draft report.
The next hearing for this case is scheduled for the second week of January 2024.
