Overview

• A bench of Chief Justice M. M. Shrivastava and Justice Sunder Mohan dismissed Advocate M Pravin’s PIL on July 31 seeking detailed media guidelines for aviation accidents
• The petition had urged the Ministry of Civil Aviation, DGCA and Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to issue advisories preventing premature or speculative statements until probes conclude
• Advocate Pravin cited rampant unverified narratives and social media conspiracies that have harmed pilot reputations and deepened trauma for victims’ families
• Despite a July 14 representation to aviation and IT authorities, no concrete framework or advisory has been proposed or implemented under existing IT Rules
• The petition argued that premature allegations breach pilots’ presumption of innocence and infringe dignity and privacy rights guaranteed by Articles 14, 19 and 21