The Sindh High Court (SHC) suspended on Monday the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority’s (PEMRA) ban restricting reporters from reporters from broadcasting tickers of court proceedings.
The petition was filed by Karachi’s court reporters earlier in the day, against the media watchdog’s notification issued on May 21. It was accepted for an urgent hearing by SHC Chief Justice Aqeel Abbasi.
Justice Abbasi however emphasized, “Court reporters must exercise responsibility when covering judicial matters. “Reporting certain remarks and observations can sometimes misrepresent the judiciary,” he added.
The notification was also challenged in the high courts of Lahore and Islamabad last week. The court has issued notices and sought a response by June 6 from PEMRA and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MOIB). The petition prayed that the ban on court reporting was imposed without convening a meeting of the authorities, nor were the court reporters heard.
