TADA court warns media on '93 blast coverage

The special court hearing the 1993 serial blasts case has warned the media to exercise restraint and not to speculate on the proceedings following complaints from the prosecutor and the accused.

Special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam told Judge PD Kode the print media was interviewing the accused in the court premises, which was not allowed, while the electronic media was interviewing the kin of accused who had been found guilty.

One of the relatives had "abused and threatened" him, he said. This had perturbed his family and the court should take note of it. "This is a deliberate attempt to prevent me from functioning as a public prosecutor and discharging my duties," Nikam said.

Twenty-five accused who were in court then rose up and surged forward, saying Nikam should be debarred from the case as he had given interviews in which he had said the guilty should be given the death penalty.

The judge asked the media not to interview the accused in the court premises and not to speculate as this could interfere with the work of the court. The media would be entitled to criticism after the full judgment was passed, Kode said.

Defence counsel Farhana Shah said opinion polls run by various TV channels should also be stopped.

The accused protested against their photographs published in the media, saying these pictures had been taken in 1993 at the time of their arrest and were being supplied by the police.

Kode assured the accused the verdict would be given by the court and not by the media, and warned them of indulging in such bickering. He asked Shah to talk to the accused and submit their grievances to the court.