Today(on 23rd August),The Indian Express and Times of India issued front-page apologies in their Ahmedabad editions, following a Gujarat High Court order. The court criticized the publications for inaccurately reporting its observations on a legal matter involving the rights of aided minority institutions.
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Gujarat: Today(on 23rd August), The Indian Express and Times of India (TOI) issued front-page apologies in their Ahmedabad editions. The action came in response to an order from the Gujarat High Court, which had recently criticized the publications for inaccurately reporting the Court’s observations in an ongoing legal matter concerning the rights of aided minority institutions.
The High Court, on Thursday, issued a stern warning to the newspapers, indicating that failure to publish the apologies would result in contempt of court notices being served. Following this, both newspapers promptly published the required apologies on their front pages.
The inaccuracies in reporting by the newspapers had initially created a misleading impression that the Gujarat High Court had already made a decision on the complex issues related to the rights of minority institutions in appointing teachers and regulating educational activities.
In its published apology, the Times of India expressed deep regret, stating:
“The newspaper holds the High Court in the highest regard and offers our unconditional apology to both the High Court and our valued readers for the reporting error in question.”
High Court’s Notice to Media
The matter came to light when a bench comprising Chief Justice Sunita Agarwal and Justice Pranav Trivedi, on August 13, issued notices to the regional editors of both the Times of India and The Indian Express. The notices demanded explanations from the newspapers regarding what the Court described as a “false and distorted narration” of the legal proceedings.
Justice Sunita Agarwal, during the session, remarked-
“The news item suggests that the court has formed an opinion on the right of a minority institution to appoint a teacher of its choice, while exercising its authority to regulate educational institutions run by minority entities.”
This statement highlighted the gravity of the misreporting, as it suggested that the Court had reached a conclusion on the matter when, in fact, the case was still under deliberation.
On Thursday, the Gujarat High Court reviewed the affidavits submitted by the two newspapers, which included the apologies they had tendered. However, the Court expressed its dissatisfaction with the manner in which the apologies were presented. The Court found that the apologies lacked clarity and did not sufficiently acknowledge the errors in reporting.
Consequently, the High Court directed The Indian Express and Times of India to publish apologies in a manner that clearly conveyed that both the reporter and the editor were at fault in misreporting the Court’s observations. The newspapers complied with this directive by issuing prominently placed apologies in their Friday editions.
This incident underscores the critical importance of accurate reporting, especially when it involves sensitive legal matters. Misreporting can not only mislead the public but also interfere with the judicial process, potentially influencing the outcome of ongoing cases.
