The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked news organisations to submit the sound bites of the press conference where Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan called the Bulandshahr gangrape a “political conspiracy”, ANI reported. The court also directed Khan to submit his stance on the issue by November 17.

The bench said the press had a responsibility towards the country and that it could not “wash its hands of a contentious matter”, India Today reported. “Several newspapers and news channels have reported the Press Conference of the minister in which the statements were made. But how can we find out if the facts are disputed?” the bench asked. This came after Khan denied having called the gangrape a “conspiracy by opponents” who wanted to “defame” the Akhilesh Yadav government in Uttar Pradesh.

The court took notice of the matter after the 15-year-old girl who was gangraped in Bulandshahr on July 29 approached the Supreme Court seeking a First information Report against the SP leader. The girl had also appealed to the apex court to transfer the case to New Delhi, oversee the investigation and provide security and rehabilitation to her family.