Kochi: Governor Justice P. Sathasivam on Friday expressed his readiness to mediate in the issues between journalists and advocates in the courts in Kerala. He also stressed the importance of media freedom and transparency of court proceedings. Justice Sathasivam, who was inaugurating the diamond jubilee celebrations of the Ernakulam Press Club on Friday, said all the courts in Kerala should be open for court reporting. The issues between mediapersons and lawyers should be amicably settled, he opined.
Justice Sathasivam, who is also the former Chief Justice of India, added that the mediapersons who reach courts should be given adequate facilities in courts. He made it clear that lawyers and journalists are integral parts of the system. He added that he had extended his assistance during the early stages of the dispute itself. The pendency of petitions before the Supreme Court was not an issue to settle the disputes. Even the Supreme Court feels that issues should be settled at the High Court level itself.
The media should restrain themselves from reporting the oral observation of the judges, he added. The reporters should not claim a right to visit the chambers of the judges, he said and stressed the importance of uploading the court orders on its website on a daily basis. “Only through media reports the common man can access judgments. Court reporting is an integral part of democracy. The people have a right to know, which is essential for the democratic set-up. If there is a curb in bringing out information, it would harm democracy resulting in autocratic rule,” he said.
