Media's Role for Justice Must be Hailed

 Today (19.08.2020) we have seen an example of the real power of the media, which relentlessly campaigned for the handing over of the Sushant Singh Rajput’s case to the CBI to unravel the truth of his death. Hopefully, the CBI investigation will pave the way for the further and much-needed catharsis of the film industry. Earlier the media was so weak that it was always ready to play the second fiddle to the goondas of Bollywood as they could easily bump off anybody anytime at any place.

Indian Penal Code (IPC) is very clear in this regard that FIR will be lodged where the cause of action has arisen and if has been lodged at any other place for certain reasons, it will be transferred to the police of the place where the main cause of action has arisen.

The SSRs case was of the Mumbai police but when no FIR was lodged for more than a month, doubts started swelling up across the country. Fed up with the inaction and the dilly-dallying tactics of the Mumbai Police, the father SSR filed an FIR in Patna, where the partial cause of action arose as he happened to be his son’s inheritor. As a matter of fact, this case could not have been investigated by the Bihar police because of the lack of territorial jurisdiction and the Mumbai Police was out to botch up the case, therefore the only way out was to hand it over to CBI, which has been done by the Supreme Court. As sentiments have no place in the justice delivery system, the Supreme Court has decided from the legal point of view.

Needless to say, that the sentiments and emotions ran high in this matter mainly due to the pusillanimity of the Maharashtra government, which failed to rise to the occasion. It was obviously under the pressure of the bad and ugly Mafiosi of the Bollywood, which has practically become the cesspool of corruption. Some don actors, producers, and directors have become so powerful that they care two hoots for others. With open complicit and connivance of some politicians and police personnel, they can make or mar the life of anyone in the filmdom.

This issue was boldly and persistently taken up, day after day, by two news Channels namely, Republic India and Times Now. These channels converted it into a hurricane of the campaign. The guts of ‘Laxmibai’ Kangana Ranaut and the indomitable Subramaniam Swami must be lauded by one and all. Let the media become more powerful and responsible. While blackmailers and fake news peddlers cause incalculable damage to society, the accountable media does immense good to it. If the media had not relentlessly worked, the case of SSR would have buried very deep. It is time to hail the media.