The Top Court on Tuesday ordered the immediate release of Delhi based journalist Prashant Kanojia who was arrested by Uttar Pradesh Police last week for sharing a post against Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath.
Supreme Court bench asked the UP Police, “Opinions may vary, he (Prashant) probably should not have published or written that tweet, but on what basis was he arrested.” The Apex Court further said that Police can proceed against him but not what basis they (Police) have arrested him.
Upholding the basic rights of the Citizens, The Top Court asserted that “Liberty of citizen is sacrosanct and non-negotiable. It is guaranteed by the constitution and it cannot be infringed.”
Supreme Court hearing plea of freelance journalist, Prashant Kanojia, against his arrest for 'defamatory video' on UP CM: Supreme Court says, "Opinions may vary, he (Prashant) probably should not have published or written that tweet, but on what basis was he arrested." pic.twitter.com/oWwX9Ujifg
— ANI (@ANI) June 11, 2019
Prashant Kanojia’s wife Jagisha Arora moved the Apex Court on Monday with a plea seeking the bail to his husband.
Prashant Kanojia shared a video of a Kanpur-based woman in which she was making allegations against Adityanath. Delhi based freelance Journalist was arrested by UP Police from his residence in the national capital on Saturday morning. He was sent to jail in the evening.
The woman who appeared in the video making charges against Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Aditya Nath has also been arrested.
The Uttar Pradesh police defended Kanojia’s arrest. Additional Solicitor General appearing for the State Government asserted that this is not the first time rather he had made inflammatory tweets in the past too.
Additional Solicitor General Vikram Banerjee submitted before the court that the He (Kanojia) has been making defamatory tweets in the past on gods and gods and goddesses and that’s why he was arrested’.
However, the Court asked the Counsel, ‘We are not onto the nature of the posts or tweets, we are asking the question whether Kanojia ought to have been deprived of his liberty.
The police action against Kanojia had sparked outrage in media and opposition circles. The Editors Guild of India had condemned the arrest as of Delhi based Journalist and call it “authoritarian misuse of laws”.
Opposition parties including Congress, BSP and Samajwadi Party slammed Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led Uttar Pradesh Government. Detaining a journalist for sharing a video that presents a State official in poor light is illegal & arbitrary and violates the principles our nation is founded on’, tweeted Congress.
Detaining a journalist for sharing a video that presents a State official in poor light is illegal & arbitrary and violates the principles our nation is founded on. https://t.co/toaYcuczcK
— Congress (@INCIndia) June 10, 2019
BSP Supremo Mayawati also slammed BJP’s Government in the state. She, in a tweet said, ‘The Editors Guild of India and other media have reacted very sharply to the arrest in Delhi of 3 including journalist Prashant Kanojia with suo motu cognizance by the Lucknow Police in connection with the contempt against up CM but whether it makes any difference to the BJP and its government’.
यूपी सीएम के खिलाफ अवमानना के सम्बंध में लखनऊ पुलिस द्वारा स्वतः ही संज्ञान लेकर पत्रकार प्रशान्त कनौजिया सहित 3 की दिल्ली में गिरफ्तारी पर एडीटर्स गिल्ड आफ इण्डिया व अन्य मीडिया ने काफी तीखी प्रतिक्रिया व्यक्त की है लेकिन क्या इससे बीजेपी व इनकी सरकार पर कोई फर्क पड़ने वाला है?
— Mayawati (@Mayawati) June 10, 2019
Samajwadi Party also slammed UP Government over the arrest of the Journalist. ‘Journalist Prashant Kanojia’s arrest strongly criticized! The failed government in terms of law and order is venting its frustration on journalists’, tweeted Samajwadi Party on Saturday.
पत्रकार प्रशांत कन्नौजिया की गिरफ्तारी की कड़ी आलोचना! कानून व्यवस्था के मामले में फेल सरकार पत्रकारों पर अपनी हताशा निकाल रही है।
— Samajwadi Party (@samajwadiparty) June 8, 2019
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