MP Court Convicts Publisher, Journalists for Publishing Photo of Minor Rape-Murder Victim

New Delhi: A court in Madhya Pradesh has convicted four persons associated with a Hindi newspaper, including three working journalists, for the offence of publishing the photograph of a minor rape and murder victim, thereby revealing her identity.

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The Wire has a copy of the 27-page court order that was pronounced on August 29.

Special judge (POCSO Act), Indore Reshmi Walter convicted the manager-publisher, reporter, editor and regional editor of Rajasthan Patrika in Madhya Pradesh for revealing the identity of a four-year-old rape victim who was murdered.

The news item was published in the newspaper in Indore and in its e-paper edition on April 9, 2019.

A section of the court order.

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Roopa Ram Goyal (manager), Krishnapal Singh Chouhan (reporter), Amit Mandloi (regional editor) and Jinesh Kumar Jain (editor) were convicted under Sections 228A of the Indian Penal Code, 23 (4) of The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 and 74 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015.

The sections make it an offence to disclose the identity or personal details of a minor victim of sexual assault.

Judge Walter dismissed the contention of the accused persons that the photograph of the minor alongside a news item was published to draw awareness to the issue of sexual crimes against children and women.

The court awarded the four convicted persons a jail term of one year and a collective fine of up to Rs 22,000 each.

The paper got into trouble after it published a new story on page 3 of its April 9, 2019 edition, headlined ‘Dwarkapuri thana police ki karyapranali par uth rahe sawal, nahi sudhar rahi vyvastha.’

Translated, the headline reads, ‘Questions being raised on the working methods of Dwarkapuri police station, the situation is not improving.”

Under this headline, the paper published three cases, which included the story (along with a photograph) of a minor victim. The rape (and murder) case had been registered in 2018.

Police lodged an FIR at the Chhoti Gwaltoli police station against the four persons linked to Patrika for publishing the photograph, saying that it revealed the identity of the victim.