The Bombay High Court on Wednesday asked the state government to find out who in Mumbai police crime branch was leaking information about investigation into the murder of senior journalist Jyotirmoy Dey to the media.
"Police will have to explain and find out who is this officer who is talking to the press. This tendency of revealing information about the probe to the media is serious. What is the need for police to talk to media about a case when investigations are still on?" said the division bench of Justices Ranjana Desai and R V More.
The bench, which was hearing a bunch of public interest litigations seeking Central Bureau of Investigation probe of the murder, directed Advocate General Ravi Kadam to tell the court on Thursday the name of the police officer who was giving interviews, and if it was the police who was approaching the media or it was other way round.
The court also pointed out, without naming him, that the photograph of Satish Kalia, the prime accused, appeared on news channels and in papers.
"One of the accused lifted his veil when he was being taken out of the court and his face was photographed and printed in every newspaper. Such things will have to be taken care of," Justice More remarked.
The state will also have to reply to the allegations of nexus between the police and the underworld, court said.
Advocate V P Patil, journalist S Balakrishnan, former journalist Ketan Tirodkar, and Press Club, Mumbai, separately moved the court after Dey was shot dead on June 11 in suburban Powai. The crime branch had subsequently arrested eight persons for allegedly carrying out the murder at the behest of gangster Chhota Rajan.
