Court ruling

It may be recalled here that the High Court had given the ruling on June 21 that construction of the residences of the speaker and the deputy speaker had violated the original design prepared by Louis Kahn. It also directed the cultural affairs ministry to preserve Louis Kahn's architectural monument by declaring it a national heritage.

It must not be forgotten that it is the media coverage which brought the matter into public focus. The concerns of environmentalists, architects and all conscious citizens of the country were reflected in the media reports, which worked as an effective vehicle for bringing up an important issue before the people. So it comes to us as a big surprise as to why there should be a plea against media coverage of the construction work. What will freedom of expression, epitomised by a free press, mean in actuality if the media is barred from projecting a veritable impingement on an architectural masterpiece of great value? People's right to know which is basically served by the independent media is too sacred a matter to be encroached upon or curtailed in any form.

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Since a legal battle is raging over the so-called development work at the JS complex -- the result of which will have a great bearing on the environmental and architectural aspects of the JS complex -- journalists have all the more reason to report on it. It is a public concern which the media cannot overlook or evade.

The court has very rightly rejected the plea for an embargo on coverage of the construction activity at the complex. However, it is disquieting to think that such a plea was put forward in the first place. We believe that people have an inviolable right to know what is happening at the JS complex, or any such place of national importance for that matter, and it is the sacred duty of the press to report facts without travesty.