SC staffer’s decision termed discriminatory

RECORDER REPORT

ISLAMABAD: The coverage of proceedings of full court reference in honor of outgoing Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry on Wednesday by a private television channel not Aaj News enraged other broadcasters who accused the apex court of violating their fundamental rights.

Soon after proceedings ended, electronic media reporters chanted slogans and accused a Supreme Court staffer of facilitating that particular private channel to have exclusive coverage of an event which was originally planned as an in-camera session.

They said that certain provisions of the Constitution were flouted because a particular channel was facilitated to get video footage of the full court reference.

Secretary to the outgoing Chief Justice, Abdul Hameed, attempted to pacify court reporters by pointing out that the full court video was not exclusively given to any television channel by the apex court as a private video cameraman was asked to cover the event.

However, he failed to satisfy the television reporters as they announced that they would boycott the proceedings of court with the formation of a three-member committee of journalists to probe the matter.

President Supreme Court Bar Association Kamran Murtaza termed it a discriminatory act.