Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court, on Monday, whilst hearing a petition seeking a ban on the media reporting of Shiroor seer’s death case, ordered the issue of notices to 36 media houses, including TV channels, web portals, daily newspapers.
Hearing a petition filed by the Udupi Ashtamatha Hitharakshana Samithi Chairman H V Gautam and religious thinker B Ramachandra Upadhyaya, a single-judge bench presided by Justice Aravinda Kumar also ordered issue of notice to home secretary, DG & IG, SP Udupi. However, the court, while postponing further arguments in the case to August 2, refused to pass any interim order refraining the media from reporting on the suspicious death of Udupi Shiroor Mutt seer Lakshmivarateertha Swami.
Advocate BV Acharya, representing the petitioners contended that the media, under the guise of freedom of press has been publishing ‘baseless and defamatory reports’ on the seer and Udupi Ashtamathas thus causing pain to the followers of the mutts.
The lawyer said that the media was conducting its own trial in the case and casting their judgements on the case. “Their behaviour suggests that the only thing to be decided is quantum of sentence. The court should provide interim stay to stop publication of such news,” Acharya added.
