The Centre today tried to dispel the impression in the Supreme Court that even a low-rank police official talks to the media in high-profile criminal cases, saying IPS officers of the rank of DGP and IGP designate the competent officers to brief the press.
The court had sought the response of the Home Ministry while hearing a PIL filed in the wake of media coverage of Aarushi and Hemraj double murder case in Noida in which dentist couple Rajesh and Nupur Talwar are facing trial for the murder of their daughter and servant.
The apex court had expressed concern that even a official low in police hierarchy talks to the press immediately after the arrest of an accused.
The Union Home Ministry briefed the apex court with guidelines in dealing with the media which rpt which said that in the cases where national security is at stake, no information should be shared with the media till the whole operation is over or until all the accused have been caught.
The guidelines said police officers should confine their briefings to the essential facts and should not to rush to the press with "half-baked, speculative or un-confirmed information about ongoing investigation".
It also said the general tendency of police to give piecemeal information on a daily basis regarding the progress of investigation should be "strongly discouraged" so that the probe is not compromised and criminals/suspects do not take undue advantage through it.
The instructions issued by DGP and IGP are always in writing through standing orders, the Home Ministry said in an affidavit filed before a bench of justices B S Chauhan and S A Bobde.
"It is respectfully submitted that as far as press briefing by the states/union territories is concerned, it is the Director General of Police for states and Inspector General of Police for UTs to issue standing orders designating the competent officers who can brief the press," said the affidavit.
The Ministry's affidavit was filed in compliance with the August 23 order of the apex court in which it had asked the Centre to state under what mechanism police officers are allowed to brief the media in cases being probed by them.
