New Delhi, April 1: The Supreme Court of India on Tuesday directed media outlets including print, electronic and social media, to maintain a strong sense of responsibility and ensure that unverified news capable of causing panic is not disseminated. The top court directed media houses to publish news on coronavirus based on information provided by the government. Centre Responds to Plea on Stranded Labourers in Supreme Court, Says 'No Migrants on Road as of 11am Today'.

The government would also issue a daily bulletin through all media avenues including the social media to clear doubts of the people on the present situation and steps taken by the government to combat crisis erupted due to COVID-19 outbreak. According to reports, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the top court that this bulletin would be made active in the next 24 hours.

Supreme Court's Directions on Fake News:

The Supreme Court issued directions, while hearing a plea by advocate Alakh Alok Srivastava seeking directions to provide food and shelter to migrant workers left helpless after the imposition of the nationwide lockdown to control the outbreak of coronavirus. During the hearing, the centre sought directions from the Supreme Court that no media house should publish or telecast any unverified information on coronavirus. A bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) SA Bobde and Justice L Nageswara Rao held the hearing through video conferencing.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on March 24, announced a 21-day countrywide lockdown to avoid the spread of COVID-19. The lockdown has left several thousand daily wagers without jobs and reduced their means of sustenance. Reports of workers choosing to travel on foot to their villages have emerged from many parts of the country, as public transport has also been shut down following the nationwide lockdown.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 01, 2020 04:33 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).