A public interest litigation (PIL) has been moved before the Supreme Court seeking directions for the formulation of a National Minimum Protocol for the Safety of Journalists and Media Personnel during public protests, besides seeking a neutral investigation into the alleged attacks on media personnel during the recent Jantar Mantar demonstrations in the national capital. The writ petition, filed by advocate Narendra Kumar Goswami in his personal capacity, has sought directions for the protection of journalists, camerapersons and media workers from targeted mob violence, sexualised abuse, intimidation and obstruction while reporting from protest sites, along with preservation of electronic evidence relating to the incidents. The plea has also sought directions for preservation of CCTV footage, police videography, drone and body-camera recordings, wireless and control-room records, deployment records, medical records of victims, and original video files voluntarily supplied by journalists or media organisations. The plea relied upon several Supreme Court judgments to contend that freedom of expression cannot be surrendered to threats of violence and that the government has a constitutional obligation to protect lawful expression and preserve evidence. It added that a representation seeking preservation of evidence, a neutral investigation and a national media-safety protocol had already been submitted to the authorities on July 24, but no comprehensive action had been communicated, necessitating the filing of the present PIL. “The petition has therefore been framed not as a political counter-narrative but as a constitutional plea for neutral accountability: protect peaceful protest; protect journalists; protect police personnel acting lawfully; prosecute individual violence; investigate unlawful force; and preserve the evidence required to distinguish one from the other,” the plea said.