September 3, 2020: Eight former IPS officers, including former Director Generals of Police (DGPs) have moved the Bombay High Court against the “unfair, malicious and false media campaign” against the Mumbai Police in the Sushant Singh Rajput death case.

The former cops, in the PIL, have claimed a certain section of electronic media is maligning the image of the Mumbai Police through media trial, and urged the HC to restrain them.

Former DGPs PS Pasricha, K Subramaniam, D Shivanandan, Sanjeev Dayal, Satish Chandra Mathur; former commissioners of Mumbai Police Mahesh N Singh, Dhananjay N Jadhav; and former ATS chief KP Raghuvanshi have filed the PIL through advocate Sanjay Ashar of Crawford Bayley & Company. Senior counsel Dr Milind Sathe and advocate Chetan Kapadia will be representing the petitioners.

The PIL filed on Monday states that a section of TV channels are making false propaganda through their biased reporting of the facts and are trying to influence the course of investigation. It further states, “This has created an air of suspicion in the minds of general public as to the facts of the case under investigation and also about the Mumbai Police, health services and other support services of the state.”

It adds that the irresponsible coverage of the case is damaging the image of the Mumbai Police due to the round-the-clock malicious campaign started by anchors of certain channels. The PIL states, “The anchors of some TV channels have been virtually running a vituperative 24x7 campaign against Mumbai Police and its commissioner, DCP of the zone and other officers by attacking them by name in most unbecoming manner.”

The PIL has said that the ‘media trial’ has resulted into a parallel investigation being undertaken by private individuals, rendering opinions, exposing material witnesses and divulging crucial pieces of evidence which, in turn, hampers the work of investigating agencies.

In light of these facts, the top cops have sought an urgent hearing of the PIL and sought directions to the government and media regulators to lay down guidelines for the mode and manner of covering any pending investigation particularly that of Sushant Singh Rajput case.

On the other hand Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh on Thursday welcomed the plea.

Deshmukh compared the Mumbai police to Scotland Yard Police, which is considered to be one of the best forces in the world, and condemned how they were “targeted” in Rajput’s case.

“Maharashtra Police & Mumbai Police have a reputation. Maharashtra Police is compared to Scotland Yard Police. The manner in which Mumbai Police was targeted in Sushant Singh Rajput case, I welcome the PIL filed by retired IPS officers,” the state home minister was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.