BANGALORE: Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court Cyriac Joseph on Friday came down heavily on a section of the media for publishing news based on "unconfirmed, baseless and irresponsible" sources.

He said such reports not only damage the image of the judiciary but also be detrimental to the nation in the long run. "Such reports are anti-national in nature and need to be deprecated," he said. He was speaking as chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations of the Advocates' Association of Bangalore, organised on the High Court premises.

Mr. Cyriac Joseph said criticism should be healthy and constructive and not biased and slanted. Reports should not be published without authenticity and they should be balanced, he said. Some reports had appeared on the judiciary in which the writer had attributed the facts by saying that "it is learnt or it is rumoured or it is stated." Such writings are like "fatherless babies" and should not be published unless they are authenticated, he said.

He said both the judiciary and the media had so far successfully collaborated in saving and nurturing democracy in India. Each has its own distinctive role.

Judges, advocates and staff should be aware of the threat to the judiciary and take steps to protect its independence, he said. Calling for financial autonomy for the judiciary, he said only then can the judiciary be completely independent. An independent judiciary in India has contributed to the success of democracy and it is in the nation's interest to ensure that the judiciary remains independent.

The Chief Justice said elections were being held in India and democracy had percolated to the grass roots only because of the judiciary. He said he was at present adjudicating a dispute on early elections to the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP). The case had come to the judiciary only because the Government had not held elections before the expiry of the term of BMP councillors. Defending judicial activism, he said the judiciary had to step onto newer areas only in public interest and also due to the failure of the legislature or the executive to redress the problems.

Though the legislature and executive had termed such intrusions of the judiciary as interference, the judiciary had to step in to ensure that the mandate of the Constitution was followed.

He said the Constitution was supreme and all the three wings of the State — the judiciary, the executive and the legislature — are subordinate to the Constitution. However, it is the duty of the judiciary to ensure that the other two wings do not step out of the purview of the Constitution.

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