Mumbai: A group of journalists on Tuesday approached the Bombay high court challenging the order of a special CBI court banning media from covering the Sohrabuddin Shaikh- Tulsiram Prajapati fake encounter case. The court is expected to hear the petition on January 12.

Advocate Abad Ponda and Abhinav Chandrachud along with Varsha Bhogle and Shailendra Singh would be representing media in the high court against the CBI court order passed on November 29, restraining media from reporting the trial.

It is contended in the petition that the trial is pending in Mumbai court for around five years and since day one, the media is extensively reporting about the court proceedings in the case and till now, there has been no complaint of misreporting. However, on November 29, when trial commenced in the case, the judge put a ban on media from reporting court proceedings on an application made by an accused.

According to the petitioners, it is their duty, as part of their work ethics to disseminate information to the public about the happenings inside the courtrooms as well as outside. It is further contended in the petition that the impugned order is illegal and is not tenable in law. The order is bad in law and liable to be quashed and set aside as it violates the principles of an open trial contained in the Code of Criminal Procedure.

The petition has said, “The trial court erred in passing the order simply based on a mere apprehension of an untoward incident (because of media reporting).”

The petitioners have requested the court to quash and set aside the trial court order and allow media to cover the trial.