Short Essay on Sting Operation – A sting operation is a deceptive operation designed to catch a person committing a crime. Sting operations have been part of the modern police response to crime for years.
Now days, private T.V. channels and other forms of information media perform entertainment sting operation to increase their TRP rating which is definitely objectionable. Right to the freedom of press under Article 19(l)(a) of the Constitution of India is not an unlimited privilege for its own sake. It is a limited right to be exercised for public welfare.
Freedom of press started with dissemination of relevant information about public affairs but nowadays, news is all about entertainment and to gain better viewership. T.V. channels sometimes overstep the demarcation that separates the legally permissible from the illegal. In sting operations, the person being filmed is unaware of the presence of a hidden camera. The right to privacy is thus breached.
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However, an illegal act committed by a public servant while discharging his duty falls in public domain. In such cases, public interest seems to weigh heavier compared to the right to privacy. But a moral wrong committed by a private individual or if a person has no duty towards the general public, his conduct is not open to public scrutiny unless he violates the law by such conduct.
In such cases, the right to privacy is violated. Public interest must not be confused with all that interests the public and regulation becomes desirable so that individual rights are not violated for public entertainment. Right to privacy is an important issue involved with sting operations. Right to privacy is the very essence of all freedom. Thus, it is all about maintaining the delicate balance between right to privacy and freedom of press.