Media organisations write to CJI to demand norms against police seizures

New Delhi: Several media organisations including Press Club of India, Digipub News India Foundation and Indian Women Press Corps have written to Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud on Wednesday seeking guidelines on police seizures of electronic devices of journalists.

"The fact is that today, a large section of journalists in India finds itself working under the threat of reprisal. And it is imperative that the judiciary confronts power with fundamental truth -- that there is a Constitution to which we are all answerable" the letter said.

The letter referred to the October 3 raids by the Special Cell of Delhi Police on houses of 46 journalists, editors, writers and professionals seemingly connected to the online news portal NewClick.

The raids led to the arrest of two persons under the various sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

"The invocation of UAPA is especially chilling" the statement read.

It also said that the seizure of mobile phones and computers without ensuring the integrity of data was against the "basic protocol that is essential to due process".

The letter requested the CJI to frame norms to discourage the seizure of journalists's phones and laptops on "a whim" and said that it compromises professional work.

"Laptops and phones are not just are just official tools used to conduct official business. These devices are integrated into our entire lives and have vital personal information contained in them-- from communication to photographs to conversations with family and friends." the letter read.

The media organisations further urged the CJI to evolve guidelines for the interrogation of journalists and for seizures from them.

The letter also called for finding ways to ensure accountability of State agencies and individual officers who are found overstepping the law or willfully misleading courts with "vague and open-ended investigations"

Foundations for Media Professionals, Network of Women in Media India, Chandigarh Press Club, National Alliance of Journalists, Delhi Union of Journalists, Kerala Union of Working Journalists, Brihanmumbai Union of Journalists, Free Speech Collective, Mumbai Press Club, Arunachal Pradesh Union of Working Journalists, Press Association of India, and Guwahati Press Club are the other organisations that are signatories to the letter.