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Former SC judge hails contribution of legal journalists
Hindustan Times Legal Editor Utkarsh Anand was among those felicitated at the event
Legal journalists perform a herculean task of disseminating knowledge to common people about whatever transpires in court, former Supreme Court judge Anil R Dave said on Saturday.
The former judge was speaking at the Justice Media Award 2023-2024 organised by North Delhi Lawyers’ Association where Hindustan Times Legal Editor Utkarsh Anand was among those felicitated at the event.
Dave said that it is imperative for the legal journalists to know the law to avoid misunderstanding and they should be careful while reporting.
“Legal journalists are doing a herculean task of giving news to people about whatever transpires in court. Court is a public place and whatever happens in trial is public. Whatever happens in the court, you are there to tell people so that they become aware and create an opinion. In the process, it is also necessary for the legal reporters to know the law. Because if you are not aware of the law, the chances of misunderstandings increase manyfolds,” he said.
During the event, the former judge also inaugurated Legal Sathi, a web line to provide free legal assistance to every citizen.
Former chief justice of Jammu and Kashmir high court MM Kumar who was also present at the event said that legal reporting is an important weapon in the hands of journalists to educate the masses about whatever transpires in court.
“Legal reporting is an important weapon in the hands of journalists for educating the masses. There may be a citizen who is following a case day after day and is looking towards the reporting of that case. Journalists play a pivotal role in educating the masses legally, what happens in the court, how it happens, why it happens, all these questions are raised by journalists through his writings,” justice Kumar said.
