Supreme Court Orders Reassessment of Media Gag in Dharmasthala Case

The Supreme Court has directed a Karnataka trial court to reevaluate a petition by the Dharmasthala Temple secretary seeking to block reports on the controversial burial case. The court questioned the necessity of a media gag. The High Court previously quashed an earlier restraining order on related media coverage.

The Supreme Court of India on Friday instructed a trial court in Karnataka to reconsider a petition from the secretary of the Dharmasthala Temple. The petition seeks to prevent the publication of allegedly defamatory reports about the Dharmasthala mass burials case. Justices Rajesh Bindal and Manmohan deliberated on whether a media gag was justifiable in this situation.

In a directive, the Supreme Court tasked the trial court with delivering a decision on the application within two weeks, starting from the next hearing date, emphasizing that the High Court's observations should not influence the trial court's fresh consideration. Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing the temple administration, argued about the continuous stream of defamatory reports via news channels and social media, presenting the court with samples of controversial online memes.

This session was part of proceedings involving Harshendra Kumar D, Secretary of the Dharmasthala Temple body, who challenged a Karnataka High Court order that nullified a previous media gag related to the contentious burial case. The August 1 decision overturned an earlier Bengaluru civil court order that barred media reportage on the matter.

(With inputs from agencies.)