Media Trial And Its Impact On Judicial Adjudication

Kailashika Verma, B.A. LL.B. (Hons.), Rani Durgawati Vishwavidyalaya, Jabalpur

ABSTRACT

Around the late 20th century and early 21st century the term “media trial” became a popular phrase used to describe the impact of information spread through mass media, both print and broadcast, on a person’s reputation by creating a widespread perception of guilt or innocence before or after a verdict in a court of law. The media channels undertake the task, putting in great effort, collecting and broadcasting interviews with witnesses, relatives and friends of the victims, legal representatives and even experts, all of whom are potential to persuade the judicial mindset and finally affect the verdict of the trial under process.

Over the past few decades mass media has become a storming wind blowing through across the world, becoming ever-increasingly influential. As everything else, media has an influence, stronger than approximated, upon the Indian judiciary and judicial system, discussing which shall be the primary objective of this report.