Recently, the High Court of Keala gave its ruling regarding the leakage of statements. The Kerala High Court in a striking administration has said that severe action would be launched against media houses and police officers who 'leak' disclosure statements of accused persons in cases which are sub-judice. Justice P V Kunhikrishnan made the observation on Thursday while considering the bail plea of Jolly Amma Joseph, key accused in the sensational Koodathayi serial murder case.

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The court transcribed that in moving cases, investigating officers are dripping disclosure statements of the involved and the media is giving wide publicity to it. The court noted that if a first information report (FIR) is registered in a case and if it is forwarded to a magistrate, then the matter is sub-judice and "no police officer has the right to leak out information..until the final report is eventually filed before the court." In the order, the court has many times mentioned that there will be stringent action, which can have "serious consequences", against the media and the investigating officers.

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The order states, "This court cannot sit as a silent spectator in the criminal justice delivery system. If the confessions statement and other materials collected during the investigation are discussed in the media and divulged to the general public, the situation will be perilous." It adds that the public might not know that a confession statement given by an accused to the police is not legal evidence in court. "If a court of law decides a case based on legal evidence, the public may suspect even the judiciary if the present situation of divulging confession statements and other materials collected during investigation is leaked like this," it said.

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