Attack on journalists at Hisar: Supreme Court to hear plea on Monday

It has also alleged there was an increasing tendency to “muzzle the press” by government authorities and sought “appropriate compensation” for affected journalists and framing of guidelines to ensure “free and fair functioning of the media”.

“The petitioners, who are media persons being victims and aggrieved to the unprovoked lathi charge on them in Hisar, during the stand-off between police and supporters of Rampal, are filing the present writ petition to seek justice for violation of their fundamental right guaranteed under Article 19 (1)(a) of the Constitution and freedom of press which means absence of interference by the State with the media, except in so far as it is authorised by the Constitution and by enactments which are constitutionally valid,” the plea said.

Besides the incident at Hisar, it also referred to various recent incidents in which media persons have been attacked.

“It is surprising that, despite proper approval from their channels and local authority the journalists were targeted by police from behind and subjected to the unprovoked attack suddenly near Satlok Ashram near Barwala town of Haryana while they were covering the violent clash between sect followers and security forces…,” it said, adding a superior police officer first allowed them to go near the site and later resorted to ‘lathi charge’.