HC: Media should not report troops’ movement

A Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court ordered on Tuesday that there should be no reporting or release of any news item by the print as well as the electronic medium relating to the movement of army troops. The court gave this direction to the secretary, home affairs, and the secretary, information & broadcasting, Government of India and the principal secretary (home), government of UP.

The court also said it was giving this order without interfering with the independence of media and keeping in view the fact that the news items relating to movements of troops have already engaged the attention at the highest level in the defence as well as in the government.

Passing the order in a petition filed by RTI activist Nutan Thakur, the court said the issue of movement of Army troops is not a matter of the kind which should require public discussion at the cost of defence official secrecy and the security of the country.