Trial by media: A push till justice?

It seems, Sushant Singh Rajput's ultimate demise hasn't yet halted the uprisings of doubts and tensions about the actual cause among the nation. After Jiah Khan's suicide case, this case has garnered a lot of questions to it. Media has been playing a great role in investigating the case after the family's FIR had been lodged against Sushant Singh Rajput's friend, Rhea Chakraborty.

Lots of twists and turns are being revealed with each passing day. Many have the opinion that adjudication by media in cases before or after the verdict of court has become a trend in the present scenario to increase the circulation and TRP of newspapers and news channels. Media has forgotten the fundamental gap between an accused and a criminal!

However, "Trial by Media" is a requisite in this 21st century where violence, crime & corruption are at its peak. After Mumbai Police's snail movement in action towards the Sushant Singh's case, many television channels had been continuously requesting the Supreme Court to take quick actions.

And on 5th of August, the Supreme Court accepted Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's request for a CBI probe.

In India, trial by media has assumed significant proportions. Some famous criminal cases that would have gone unpunished but for the intervention of media are Priyadarshini Mattoo case, Jessica Lal case, Nitish Katara murder case and Bijal Joshi rape case. And it has been proved a number of times that media intervention is necessary whenever the voices of the mere public are being given a deaf ear.

The 5th of August will be a day of Justice for the entire nation for the foundation stone-laying ceremony, Bhumi Pujan of the Ram Lalla Mandir in Ram Janmabhoomi, Ayodhya took place on the day along with the Supreme Court hearing in favour of CBI probe towards Sushant Singh's case, which the family was seeking.

Rajashree Das,

Gauhati University