The Union government told the Bombay High Court on Wednesday that it did not support media trials, but statutory and self-regulatory guidelines for the print as well as electronic media already exist.
It also said that the Supreme Court had accepted the role of the National Broadcasters Association, a private body, as a regulatory authority for TV news channels, and the Supreme Court has also held that the media freedom should not be interfered with.
The High Court had asked earlier if there is any statutory mechanism to regulate the content broadcast by electronic media.
A bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice G S Kulkarni was hearing a bunch of PILs seeking that the media, particularly news channels, be directed to be restrained in their reportage on the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput.
The petitioners, which included some former senior police officers, said that news channels were conducting a media trial into the case by presuming the guilt of the accused.
On Wednesday, Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh, who appeared for the Union government, said that while statutory guidelines already existed for TV news content, it was perhaps required to see if there was anything missing in these guidelines.
"We do not seek to justify media trial. All courts have condemned media trial. We accept that position," ASG Singh said.
"There is an existing statutory framework which covers electronic media. News broadcasters also have self regulatory guidelines....Also, the SC was informed about the NBA model which was accepted. They accepted that media should not be interfered with," Mr Singh said.
He also referred to the SC's judgement in the Sahara case where it had held that it was a fundamental paradigm of freedom of speech that media must be free from governmental control in the matter of "content" and censorship and free speech were "sworn enemies".
HC will continue hearing the government's arguments in the case on Friday.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Sperm Or Egg Donor Cannot Claim To Be Child's Biological Parent: High Court Bombay High Court's Advice To Indrani Mukerjea's Overseas Travel Request For Bank Work High Court Waives Cooling Off Period For Estranged Couple, Says... Vandalism At Kolkata Hospital Where Doctor Was Raped, Tear Gas Fired 150 mg Semen In Kolkata Doctor's Body, Suspect Gang-Rape: Parents To Court 2 French Rafale Jets Collide Mid-Air, Instructor, Pilot Missing "Soldiers, Farmers, Youth. I Salute Them All": PM Modi In Speech At Red Fort Trump Speaks With Netanyahu Over Gaza Truce And Hostage Deal: Report Indian-Origin Man Jailed For Helping Friend In Singapore Football Scam Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.