Hyderabad: The Delhi High Court today asked Television media channels to exercise restraint while reporting any news related to actor Rakul Preet Singh and her alleged involvement in the sensational drug racket case and asked them to abide by the Programme Code and other guidelines.
The HC passed these orders while dealing with a petition filed by the actor related to the unsubstantiated news reports about her in connection with now jailed actor Rhea Chakraborty drug case. The order was passed by a Single Judge Bench of the HC headed by Justice Navin Chawla. In her petition, she told the HC that she was shooting in Hyderabad and suddenly discovered on September 11th evening that Rhea Chakraborty had taken her name before the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) as a person who has been taking drugs.
She alleged that the media houses and TV channels had been making defamatory and deliberately false reports and innuendos against her in their reportage. She told the HC that the alleged statement had already been retracted by Rhea on September 10, 2020. She sought a direction from the HC to Central Government, Prasar Bharti, Press Council of India, and News Broadcasters Association to take action against the erring media houses, in accordance with the law, and to implement their own guidelines.
Following this, the Delhi Court issued notice to the Central Government, Prasar Bharti, Press Council of India, and News Broadcasters Association and directed them to expeditiously decide the issues raised in Rakul Preet’s petition, including passing any interim direction.
