HYDERABAD, May 14 -- Marital disputes can no longer be considered a private matter confined to the four walls of a home going by the programmes being telecast in some news channels. There have been at least four instances, in the recent past, of wife and husband or their families trading charges on prime time TV. The live shows recorded high TRPs and were streched to a couple of hours as rival parties washed dirty linen in public, said a petition to the Human Rights Commission seeking an end to the unhealthy trend.

The petitioners - All India Forgotten Women's Association (AIFWA), Andhra Pradesh Mothers-in-law Protection Association (APMPA), Save Indian Family Foundation (SIFF) and All India Men's Welfare Association (AIMWA) - on Thursday sought a ban on telecast or publishing of marital disputes as news.

They felt that it was only the men and their relatives who were always shown in poor light even before they were proved guilty by a court.

Uma Challa, lawyer and president of AIFWA, said, "This trial by media by telecasting or publishing marital disputes is leading to half-truths and lies and it is always the accused men and their relatives who are defamed.

"The men and their family are even labeled criminals, crooks, cheats, frauds, blood-thirsty demons and money-hungry wolves merely based on the self-serving statement of a complainant wife. Some of them could also be decent law-abiding citizens who may or may not want to share their version with the media." Uma felt it was unfair for the media to take sides when the matter was in court or under investigation. The media coverage may influence the probe, she said.

"The public maligning of personal and family reputation has adversely affected the health of many accused, especially elders. There were instances of young men, their sisters and aged parents committing suicides unable to withstand the trauma caused by media trial" she claimed. Uma said under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights it was a gross violation of human rights.

The organisations appealed to the chairman of SHRC, B Subhashan Reddy, to direct all the newspapers and channels to stop telecasting marital disputes as news and also not to make one-sided statements. They also requested the chairman to stop media discussions on any matter which is subjudice or under investigation, especially those related to family disputes, and make provisions to file suo moto cases of contempt of court in case of violation of this directive.

"I will check whether it comes under my jurisdiction and then take an appropriate decision on the issue by Saturday," the chairman said.

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