Don’t precipitate matter till Oct 9: HC on Aaj Tak editor Sudhir's plea

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: The High Court of Karnataka on Tuesday extended the interim protection granted to Aaj Tak editor Sudhir Chaudhary till October 9.

The HC bench of Justice Hemant Chandangoudar heard the counsel for Chaudhary, Uday Holla on the plea for quashing the FIR lodged against the journalist in the Seshadripuram police station and adjourned the hearing after extending the protection.

Chaudhary’s counsel argued that criticism of government policies is permissible and it does not attract the provision of Section 153A (promoting enmity on grounds of religion) under which Chaudhary is booked.

He also pointed out that since the report was published on September 11 there has been no violence which meant that people have taken it rightly. The HC had earlier on September 15 directed the police not to take coercive action against Chaudhary.

The complaint was filed by Shivakumar S, the Assistant Administrative Officer of the Karnataka Minorities Development Corporation Limited alleging that Chaudhary in a news programme on Aaj Tak channel spread misinformation on a government scheme.

He was booked under and other sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The Karnataka Government’s Swavalambi Sarathi Scheme provides a 50 per cent subsidy on bank loans obtained by religious minorities for purchase of commercial transport vehicles up to three lakh rupees.

The report on the project allegedly termed it a minority appeasement scheme.