J&K HC directs govt to take action against news channels

A Division Bench of the High Court comprising Chief Justice N N Paul Vasanthakumar and Justice Muzaffar Hasnain Attar on Wednesday expressed displeasure over the media coverage and observed that the “hysteria created by some national news channels” has created problems for the government.

“The government needs to take some action against such news channels and regulate them,” the bench directed, adding that the media is not above law and needs to be made aware of it.

While hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL), the bench also took note of the article “Between the Studio and the Street”, written by Director School Education Kashmir Shah Faesal for an English daily The Indian Express on Wednesday.

“He has been pushed to the edge by (the hysteria). If he resigns, then he would be pushed to the other side of the divide,” the bench said.

Faesal, who is the first Kashmiri to top the civil service exams, had last week slammed TV news channels who ran his picture alongside that of militant commander Burhan Wani to make a comparison.

“By juxtaposing my photos with the images of a slain militant commander, a section of national media has once again fallen back upon its conventional savagery that cashes on falsehoods, divides people and creates more hatred,’’ he had written on his Facebook.

About 50 civilians have been killed in the ongoing unrest in the Valley after the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani in Koekrnag of South Kashmir on July 8.

(reporting by Saleem Iqbal Qadri)