PUCL condemns arrest of TV reporter Naveen Soorinje

PUCL condemns arrest of TV reporter Naveen Soorinje

Mangalore Today Network

Mangalore, Nov 28, 2012: Retired Justice Michael F. Saldanha said that the arrest of Kasturi TV channel reporter Naveen Soorinje in connection with the Mangalore home stay attack is an important issue related to the constitutional guarantee of freedom of speech and expression with special reference to attacks on reporters in DK.

Addressing reporters at Hotel Woodland today, he said that the safety and freedom of the press in Karnataka has been seriously undermined by the way the police have behaved toward reporter Naveen Soorinje.

Calling it a clear case of violation of human rights, he said that the PUCL condemns against this wrongful confinement of a citizen. The Constitution makes it mandatory for courts in India to not only be vigilant, but also safeguard citizens against human rights violation. The law provides protection in the form of anticipatory bail in cases of actual breach and impending breach, he added.

The fact that these provisions do not lead to effective and speedy relief illustrates failure on the part of subordinate judiciary, he said. Since such things keep happening, it can be concluded that the courts are endorsing wrongdoings on the part of the police department, he said.

Soorinje has been booked on counts of conspiracy and absconding, which are not true. In this case, the police as well as the magistrate are false, he added.

If the police really believed Naveen Soorinje to be guilty of crime, they ought to have arrested him within a few days of the attack, not five months after the incident.

A number of PUCL members such as Suresh Bhat Bakrabail, P. B. D’Sa, Roshan Lobo, and others were present.