New Delhi: Fuming over a television channel showing her nude photographs shot through a hidden camera in Bhopal Jail, Bollywood starlet Monica Bedi on Friday moved the Supreme Court which restrained all the channels from telecasting the "objectionable photo".
The court which took its time to examine the seriousness of the matter asked the Centre to issue directions to all the TV channels to restrain them from telecasting the obscene photographs, allegedly taken by installing a camera in the bathroom of the jail where Monica was lodged in connection with the passport forgery case.
"The Information and Broadcasting Ministry will direct all TV channels to restrain from telecasting the nude photographs of the petitioner (Monica)," a Bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan said.
The court also issued notice to the Centre, Madhya Pradesh Government and the Bhopal Jail Superintendent on her plea that a high-level inquiry be conducted as to how the photographs were shot and later supplied to the news channel.
The former actress and companion of gangster Abu Salem, who was extradited from Portugal in November 2005, has sought punitive damage for the loss of prestige and mental agony undergone by her due to the objectionable photograph.
However, before securing relief from the apex court, her counsel K T S Tulsi had to answer several questions lobbed by the Bench which once asked how it could pass any order without having relevant materials placed before it.
"You can't directly come before us. We do not know whether it is a shocking or obscene photograph. You should have given application to the Information and Broadcasting Ministry to take action," the Bench once remarked during the brief hearing.
Tulsi shot back saying there was no time to make representation anywhere and it would have consumed a lot of time in addressing the issue which relates to right of privacy guaranteed under the Constitution.
He said "it was most abhorring that the TV channel showed the photograph".
Tulsi said here it was a case where a TV channel had shown complete insensitivity in going ahead with the news item along with her objectionable photograph which was "complete misuse of freedom of press".
Maintaining that it was a matter concerning the modesty of the woman, the senior advocate said by the time he would go before some other authority hundreds of channels would procure the copy of the photograph and the damage would be immense.
He said a court order will put a stop on the press from telecasting the objectionable photograph.
Tulsi said the photograph was surreptitiously taken in the jail and the leader of Opposition in the state Assembly has also sought action against the jail officials.
The actress was acquitted by a Bhopal court in the passport forgery case on July 16.
She was released on July 25 from a Hyderabad jail after getting bail from an apex court in a similar case in which she was sentenced to three years.
She has appealed against her conviction in the apex court.
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