The Supreme Court will tomorrow hear the case against HW News network and its journalists. The case (Theo Connect Pvt Ltd & others Vs the state of Tripura Vs others) is listed in front of the bench headed by Justice DY Chandrachud. Justice Hima Kohli will preside on the bench along with Justice Chandrachud. The case is pertaining to the reportage of communal violence in the North-Eastern state.
Senior Adv Luthra assisted by Adv Sandeep Deshmukh will be appearing for HW news and itās journalists.
HW News Journalists, Samriddhi Sakunia and Swarna Jha, were arrested by the Tripura police from Assam on November 14. A day later, a local court in Tripura granted them bail. The two journalists had been reporting from the ground, including investigating reported instances of vandalism and attacks on mosques in the state, in connection with the violence that gripped the region from October. However, the case reached Supreme Court after several FIRs were registered against the journalists on the complaint of VHP and related individuals. The digital news platform and its journalists were charged with promoting enmity and criminal conspiracy by the Tripura police.
In December 2021, the Apex Court had stayed all criminal proceedings against the HW News Network and two of its journalists.
The bench headed by Justice Chandrachud had then stayed the criminal proceedings and sought the state governmentās response on the journalistsā plea to quash the FIR against them.
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