Trial by media

Justice Ramana's concerns are valid

Chief Justice of India N V Ramana’s criticism of the media, particularly TV and social media, of running “kangaroo courts” that conduct “ill-informed and agenda-driven debates” demands some serious attention. Justice Ramana’s comments, delivered at a lecture in Ranchi, did not name any entity but he has expressed misgivings frequently articulated in recent years. India has gained something of an unsavoury reputation for the blatantly partisan, crudely combative and low intellectual standard of discourse on sub-judice subjects that saturates the social media and the evening TV discussions. Social media, with its enormous reach among all levels of society and largely