SC asks for recordings of report, talk show

The Supreme Court yesterday ordered private television channel Ekattor TV to submit by August 16 the recordings of a report and a talk show in which “recorded conversation between two apex court judges” was played.

A four-member bench led by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha in a suo moto order also asked Attorney General Mahbubey Alam to inform the channel authorities of its order.

The TV channel on Monday night aired a report and a talk show over an audio record in which “two SC judges” were heard talking about constituting a bench for hearing a war crimes case.

The court had already issued a contempt of court rule on Janakantha Editor and Publisher Atiqullah Khan Masud and its

Executive Editor Swadesh Roy for publishing an article on the matter and fixed August 13 to deliver a verdict on the rule.

The TV report was aired with a photo of the chief justice, the attorney general told reporters at his office, adding that the SC would examine whether the channel had committed any contempt of court by broadcasting the report and holding the talk show on a sub judice matter. 

Before issuing the suo moto order, the Appellate Division heard opinions of the attorney general and former attorney general Mahmudul Islam on the matter.

They told the court that broadcasting reports and talk shows on something that was part of court proceedings was tantamount to contempt of court, and that the SC could not ignore it.