FOURTH ESTATE TO THE FIRST PILLAR

Daily Post 1435

FOURTH ESTATE TO THE FIRST PILLAR

Days of Renaissance and Reformation have added so much to our thought process, the way we have progressed as civilisation as we are today. Different countries have their own moments of reckoning and glory, simple travails to revolutions. With the onset of democracy as a system of governance, the battle for freedom and establishment of democratic governments have been the most fascinating patch of our already traversed history. When democracy beckons till the time it becomes really robust and part of our psyche, time only can tell. More often than not it does not happen. Journalism is one of the main elements of democracy and has been called the Fourth Estate.

The unfolding of the Fourth Estate has been a fascinating exercise with the simultaneous evolution of democracy itself. How much it impacts each other, we leave it to posterity to decide, suffice to say, the media of today is totally unrecognisable compared to the one 30 years back. The mainstream media and its following also makes an immense difference. All of us would agree to the transformative changes from the print to the electronic and now digital media and medium and the menacingly growing cousin social media. The battery of journalists of all types inclusive of every citizen being a journalist with social media with the changing nature of ownership and agenda has brought it to a weird pass.

As has always been narrated that 24/7 nature of electronic media, with new channels beaming relentlessly and aimlessly, whether as fillers or fulfillers remains unknown. TRP is the winning enigma. Their capability of understanding crime, criminal law and investigation, they believe, has nearly been perfect in last two months. From ligature marks to understand legal jurisdictions to collecting evidence to the admissibility of electronic evidence, they have mastered it all. The transformation of What’sApp text on smartphone to being projected on a TV studio video wall has been no joke. A bandwagon of investigators making their mark without IPC, CrPC and the Indian Evidence Act.

This has been the ultimate transformation in the living democratic memory. It has been the successful transformation of Fourth Estate to the First Pillar of the Criminal Justice System. This is no less momentous than Reformation and Renaissance. Every thing remained the same and the tectonic shift happened. How far they would get into prosecution, defence and trial, its only they can decide. Right to Liberty is being redefined. Investigation is a serious job, the complex task needs peace, for application of mind and law, to stitch the true sequence of events with evidence, which can withstand strictest judicial scrutiny and deliver.

DEFACTO REDEFINING CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM IS UNWARRANTED.

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