Won’t accept anything in sealed cover: Delhi HC while asking Zee Media to disclose source of Delhi riots accused’s statement

New Delhi, Oct 19 : : The Delhi High Court on Monday declined to entertain the request made by Zee Media Corporation to place in “sealed cover” the name of the journalist who produced the disclosure statement of Delhi riots accused Asif Iqbal Tanha.
A single-judge bench of the high court presided by Justice Vibhu Bakhru declined the request made by Zee Media Corporation’s counsel Vijay Aggarwal that his client be allowed to disclose the name of the concerned journalist in a sealed cover as revealing his name openly would risk his life and his family.
“I am not accepting anything in a sealed cover,” the bench said while asking the media outlet to file an affidavit disclosing the source of the disclosure statement. The court will now hear the matter on October 23.
The observations were made while the bench was hearing a petition filed by Jamia Millia Islamia student and Delhi riots accused Asif Iqbal Tanha who has said that he is aggrieved by various publications reporting that he has confessed to orchestrating the Delhi riots and alleged that he was coerced to sign certain papers in the effective custody of police.
The court said that the confessional statements of an accused which are not in public domain cannot be accessed and published.
During the course of the hearing, Aggarwal contended that the journalist was protected against disclosing the “source” of his/her information.