SC stays proceedings by Tripura police against journalists over communal violence
New Delhi, Dec 8:The Supreme Court on Wednesday stayed the proceedings in connection with the FIRs registered by Tripura police against the HW News Network and it’s journalists – Samriddhi Sakunia and Swarnja Jha, over the reports of communal violence in the state.
“We stay the proceedings in the FIRs registered by Tripura police against the petitioner, HW News Network and the journalists,” a bench of the Apex Court, headed by Justice Dhananjaya Yashwant Chandrachud, said.
Tripura police had registered the FIRs against Sakunia and Jha under Sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 153-A (Promoting enmity between religious groups) and 504 (Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The Court also issued notice, after hearing the petitions, to Tripura police on the plea filed by Theos Connect, which operates the digital news portal HW News Network.
The digital news portal and the journalists had moved SC, seeking quashing of First Information Reports (FIRs) registered against them.
Tripura police, in its FIRs registered against the journalists, claimed that their reports promoted enmity between groups and spread communal hatred by publishing baseless news about communal violence.
The petitioners, however, told the Bench of the Apex Court that the offence of hate speech alleged against them was bizarre, as the journalists’ endeavour was fact-finding and ground reporting of the communal riots, which took place in Tripura.
The two FIRs registered against them were inspired by politics as their reports had no element of purported spreading of hatred and enmity between the communities, the petitioners added.
UNI