Last month, in a special Sunday sitting, the Supreme Court had granted interim protection from arrest to Senior Journalist Vinod Dua.
New Delhi| The Supreme Court bench has asked Himachal Pradesh police to submit the details of investigation based on FIR against senior journalist and HW News Network Consultant Editor Mr Vinod Dua in a sealed cover to the court. The next date of hearing has been set as of Wednesday, July 15. The Supreme Court bench led by Justice UU Lalit further stated that if it found no merit in the allegations, it will quash the FIR registered against Dua.
An FIR was filed against Senior journalist Vinod Dua under IPC Section 124 A in Himachal Pradesh’s Kumarsain Police station based on the complaints of BJP District President Ajay Shyam. Dua had sought the intervention of the Supreme Court in a Sedition case filed against him and had petitioned to quash the FIR. Earlier, on June 4, a Delhi BJP Spokesperson Naveen Kumar had filed an FIR against Vinod Dua,. However, it was stayed by Delhi High Court.
On June 14, in a special Sunday sitting, the Supreme Court had granted interim protection from arrest to Dua. However, it had refused to stay the FIR and asked him to cooperate in the investigation.
Also Read: SC Refuses To Stay Investigation Against Vinod Dua, Directs Him To Cooperate
Vinod Dua’s advocate, Vikas Singh also sought to quash all the set of other FIRs filed against Dua. Representing Dua, he said that his client is being asked why he criticized the government. “The way I am being questioned & the kind of questions I am being asked amounts to outright harassment,” Vikas Singh said citing Vinod Dua.
He also cited the case of Network18 Journalist Amish Devgan and OpIndia Editor Nupur Sharma. An FIR against Devgan was stayed while Sharma was granted protection. Singh also read out the transcript of the video clip which was cities in the FIR for allegedly being “seditious”.
The SC bench then questioned the investigation officer asking the reason for the delay in notifying about the complaint to HW News Network. The SC bench noted that the episode in question was aired on March 30, whereas the complaint was filed on April 23. However, HW News Network was intimated about the FIR only last month.
The matter will be further taken up on Wednesday. Till then the interim order remains effective.
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