New Delhi: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor and several journalists, including Rajdeep Sardesai, have moved the Supreme Court to challenge the FIRs against them over their tweets on the January 26 violence during the farmers’ tractor march here.
Delhi Police had filed a case against Tharoor, Sardesai, The Caravan and others on January 30 on a complaint by city resident Chiranjiv Kumar, who claimed that Tharoor and others “misled” people on the death of a protester in central Delhi’s ITO when thousands of farmers swarmed the area.
Earlier, Tharoor and six journalists were booked by the Noida police for sedition, among other charges, in connection with the violence.
Journalists Mrinal Pande, Zafar Agha, Paresh Nath and Anant Nath also moved the top court to challenge the cases filed against them on charge of posting misleading tweets on the Republic Day violence.
The Madhya Pradesh Police too has filed a case against Tharoor and six journalists over their alleged misleading tweets in this regard.
On January 26, a section of protesting farmers deviated from the agreed route of their tractor rally and clashed with the police in several parts of the capital.
The Central government on Thursday informed the Delhi High Court that “substantial” steps have been taken against the January 26 violence during the farmers’ tractor rally.
“Substantial steps have been taken, 43 FIRs filed in relation with January 26 violence of which 13 transferred to Delhi Police Special Cell,” Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta submitted.
“We are invoking the Unlawful Assembly (Prevention) Act in some of the FIRs, including those in which the banned entity ‘Sikhs for Justice’ is involved,” he added.
A bench of Chief Justice D.N. Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh was hearing a petition seeking appropriate direction to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the Delhi Police to take action against perpetrators.
It also sought a direction to the authorities to investigate how such an event could take place at the Red Fort which shows a serious lapse of security through a Special Investigation Team.
Rajdeep Sardesai and Mrinal Pande.
