Delhi High Court junks plea asking media to use word martyr for reporting deaths of security personnel in terror attacks

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday dismissed a plea seeking directions to the media to use the words martyr or 'shaheed' instead of 'killed' when reporting deaths of security personnel in terror or other attacks.

A bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice V K Rao declined to hear the petition by a lawyer, who had contended that use of words like 'killed' or 'died' was not respectful.

Delhi High Court dismisses the plea seeking direction to media houses to use 'martyr' word instead of 'killed'. The plea was seeking direction to the press and electronic media to use ‘respectful words on the martyrdom of soldiers'. pic.twitter.com/YCdCDOlTWA

— ANI (@ANI) February 19, 2019

Referring to the February 14 terror attack in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir, Chaudhary said the deaths should have been described by the media using "respectful words" like martyred or 'shaheed' and not killed or died.