The Supreme Court Registry has refused to number a plea seeking restriction on the media from publishing and airing news related to the four senior judges who had held a press conference.

Chief Justice Dipak Misra has declined the mentioning of the counsel.

The appeal (see below), intended to be filed on behalf of the petitioner by advocate Ashutosh Dubey, had wanted the court to “Issue appropriate writ/direction to stop the printing/ discussion/politicization/debate on the subject matter of press conference dated 12.01.2018 in the press and media with immediate effect to control further damage to the institution.”

The appeal was, in effect, to gag the media, a move the court could have done only at the risk of another plea on freedom of expression.

The Chief Justice, rightly, did not allow the petition to even be mentioned.

–        India Legal Bureau