The Supreme Court of India has indicated that it will constitute a committee to investigate allegations of assault on female journalists by police officers during protests. The Chief Justice directed senior advocate Indira Jaising to submit documents in two sealed envelopes containing the names of allegedly assaulted female journalists along with proposed retired female judges and police officers for the panel.
The top court also directed the Delhi Police not to arrest a woman journalist against whom an FIR was filed under the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act by an Assistant Commissioner of Police. The court is considering framing guidelines to govern such incidents and distinguish journalists at protest sites.
In a related development concerning telecommunications, the government has directed telecom service providers including Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea, and BSNL to display a caller's registered name alongside their mobile number to curb spam calls. Set to launch next month, the Calling Name Presentation service will be introduced on 4G and 5G wireless networks, pulling user identities directly from subscriber databases.