Overview
- Journalists covering protests over Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and electoral roll revisions were allegedly pushed, harassed or assaulted by Delhi Police during the October 10 demonstrations.
- At a hearing on October 16, a bench led by CJI Surya Kant declined to define ‘journalist’ immediately, called for a detailed examination, barred coercive action against the woman complainant and asked authorities to complete an inquiry and file an affidavit within a week.
- Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the court that the digital era has blurred lines because 'any person having a mobile is a journalist' and that short‑form creators or 'reel‑makers' make it hard to separate influencers from independent reporters.
- The bench said it will consider laying down guidelines to set different 'layers of protection' for accredited media and digital creators and floated constituting an independent committee to examine complaints that could be largely composed of women.
- Petitioners say Delhi Police relied on Press Information Bureau accreditation and narrow digital criteria to deny or limit access to freelancers and YouTubers, a practice they blame for seized devices, restricted reporting and weak accountability in cases involving women journalists.