New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday provided interim protection to two Madhya Pradesh-based journalists who were allegedly assaulted by the state police for reporting on illegal sand mining activities.
The matter came up for hearing before a bench comprising Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and Manmohan. The apex court declined to examine the journalists' plea and asked them to approach the Madhya Pradesh High Court. "We are not entertaining the plea. However, looking at the allegations, we permit the petitioners to move the concerned high court within two weeks from today. Till the time the petitioners move high court …the petitioners shall not be arrested," said the bench.
On June 4, a separate bench of the apex court had sought a response from the Madhya Pradesh and Delhi governments on the plea of Shashikant Goyal and Amarkant Singh Chouhan, and scheduled the matter for further hearing on June 9.
The bench had said unless the court is made aware of the exact nature of the crime attributed to the two journalists, it cannot pass any interim order granting protection from arrest to the two. The bench told the counsel, representing the petitioners that if the client commits a crime like murder, can the court grant no coercive protection order? The bench said it would have to hear the police's argument. "Let the other side respond. Let the facts be brought by the state also," the bench said.
The bench also told the counsel that it must have been informed it they had already moved the Delhi High Court. It told the counsel, “We appreciate you as the fourth pillar of democracy. But you have to show the apprehension borne out of the record….. What prevents you from going to Delhi High Court which is sitting during vacations?"
In May, the Delhi High Court had granted protection to Chouhan, who claimed there was threat to his life by the Bhind superintendent of police after he was allegedly beaten in his office.
The high court had directed Delhi Police to give protection to Chouhan, a resident of Madhya Pradesh and Bhind Bureau Chief of Swaraj Express news channel, for two months. Last month, three journalists from Bhind district had alleged they were beaten and manhandled inside the office of superintendent of police, an allegation denied by the officer.
Pritam Singh Rajawat, who runs a YouTube channel and Goyal who runs a news portal, along with Chouhan, who also works for a news channel, alleged in a complaint submitted to the district collector that they were assaulted on May 1.
