CONFIDENTIAL
interests of justice or public order or security" that
From which
are
any criminal case should be heard in a closed court to the public
an extent which would include the delivery of judgment
and verdict.
3. It is true that under Section 122 the representa-
tives of the press cannot be required to leave the
we are
court, but am advised that this fact is not, of it-
self, sufficient to justify leaving the Section as it
stands. One reason why it is required that verdict
and sentence in a criminal case should be announced in
open court is in order that not only the public but in
particular the relatives and friends of the accused
and actually see
may know what has happened to the latter. It would
not be satisfactory to rely on such persons obtaining
information from newspapers regarding the court's
decision since:
(a) the press might not report the result of the case
(b) the case might be reported only in a newspaper
which the relatives and friends did not see,
(c) the case might be reported in a newspaper printed
in a language not known to the relatives and
friends, and
(a) even if the judgment and sentence were reported
in a newspaper normally read by the relatives
excluded
@) even if this sour the wardict in mys
and friends of the accused, they might miss the they might be
item since the date on which judgment and sen-
tence were to be announced might not have been
known to them, and,
It will be
be greatly appreciatio
herefore if
I shall be grateful therefore if you will reconsider
this matter with a view to amending Section 122 to pro
always
Judgment and sentence to be announced in
vide for judgment
open court.
لو
whether & yours the reports.
NOTHING TO BE WRITTEN IN THIS MARGIN
CONFIDENTIAL
/4.