India presents a mix picture of law and events on freedom of expression. ‘Thoughts’ if kept secret lose their power to influence others. Thus, they need to be spread. Liberty to express opinion and ideas without any hesitation plays a fluent role in development of state. Freedom of speech and expression constitutes one of the indispensable parts of the democratic society. Human rights are inherent to all human beings, regardless of race, sex, nationality, language, religion etc.
These include right to life and liberty, right to work and education and freedom of opinion and expression. The Supreme Court Of India in Keshavnanda Bharti Vs Union of India has held that these rights form the fundamental norms of the Indian Society as they have been incorporated in the fundamental law of land. Freedom of speech is a powerful tool in the hands of the media and it is fully exploiting it by conducting media trials which is recently coined term.
Media has been called handmaiden of justice, the watchdog of society and the judiciary- the dispenser of justice and catalyst of social reforms.
Media and Judiciary share a common bond and work harmoniously to discover the truth, uphold democratic values, and deal with social economic and political problems. It can build or malign the image of a person simultaneously by influencing and revolutionizing the masses. Through this monograph, I have tried to highlight the position of media trials, its effects on judiciary and administration.
