The Editors Guild of India on Friday asked the Chennai police to return the seized mobile phones and other electronic devices of several journalists as part of the investigation into the sexual assault case of a student in the city.
The EGI also raised concern over the manner in which the Chennai police conducted investigation against the journalists in the case.
As per reports, the first information report was available on a government website, and some journalists had downloaded the report in pursuit of professional work.
"It has come to our notice that the summons were sent to journalists through WhatsApp, which as the Supreme Court has ruled as an invalid means of serving the legal notices. Further, the journalists have claimed that the questioning was intrusive," EGI said in a statement.
"The Guild demands the Chennai police immediately return all the devices of journalists, and to conduct the investigation in a manner not prejudicial to rights of journalists and press freedom," said the statement.
In 2023, the Supreme Court, while hearing a public interest litigation filed by the Foundation for Media Professionals, had instructed the central government to frame guidelines regarding search and seizure of digital devices of individuals, specifically journalists, in view of privacy threats and security of sensitive journalists' data, posed by such operations conducted by law enforcement agencies, the EGI said.
The guidelines are yet to be framed and presented to the Court.
The Guild also notes with concern that the devices of several journalists in the NewsClick case, seized by the Delhi police in 2023, have yet not been returned.
The Guild also urged the Centre to make guidelines regarding search and seizure of journalists at the earliest.
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