Chief Justice of India Justice N.V. Ramana on Wednesday said the media canvas had vastly changed since the days of newspapers breaking big stories and noted that it was because investigative journalism had unfortunately vanished from the scene.
Speaking at the launch of the book Blood Sanders: The Great Forest Heist authored by journalist Sudhakar Reddy Udumula, CJI Raman said he leaves it to the discretion of the attendees to arrive at their own conclusions on the trajectory of journalism over the years.
“We have witnessed newspaper reports on scandals and misconduct creating waves leading to serious consequences. Barring one or two, I don’t recall any story of such magnitude in recent years. Everything in our garden appears to be rosy,”
-he said.
Making another observation on the present-day media, CJI Ramana quoted Mahatma Gandhi who had said newspapers should be read for the study of facts and should not be allowed to kill the habit of independent thinking. “I hope the media introspects and tests itself against these words of the Mahatma,” he said.
Speaking about the book and the author’s struggle in writing this book, the CJI said Reddy has been tracking this subject as a news reporter for nearly two decades and has travelled extensively in the habitat of red sanders which is a difficult terrain to walk through. The book is a result of diligent research and a great amount of hard work put in by Udumula Sudhakar Reddy, he said.
The CJI said the book had sharp insights on what all has gone wrong with the fragile ecosystem spread over the districts of Chittoor, Nellore, Prakasam, Kadapa and Kurnool in Andhra Pradesh. Red Sanders thrived in this habitat till a few decades ago. Now it is facing the threat of extinction, he said.
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CJI Ramana said the author has mentioned in the book that the Andhra Pradesh Forest Act was amended in 2016 to deal sternly with the smuggling of Red Sanders but what is lacking is the necessary enforcement of these laws. This is where the media needs to play its role, he said.
He said the collective failures of individuals and institutions entrusted with the role of protectors need to be highlighted by the media. People need to be made aware of deficiencies in the process. This job can only be done by the media, he reiterated.
Read his full speech below:
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