Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru
Bengaluru, Sep 15: The Karnataka High Court issued oral directions to Bengaluru police on Friday, instructing them not to take hasty action against Aaj Tak news anchor Sudhir Chaudhary. This comes in response to a case filed over a program criticizing a scheme by the state minority corporation.
Sudhir Chaudhary is the primary accused in the case, with the chief editor and organizer of the Hindi news channel listed as accused numbers two and three, respectively.
The high court provided these directions while adjourning a plea filed by Chaudhary to quash the FIR registered on September 12 and for an interim stay on the investigation until September 20. The police filed an FIR against Chaudhary for alleged "conspiracy to disrupt communal harmony" based on a complaint from an official of the Karnataka Minorities Development Corporation.
The court declined to grant an interim stay on the investigation for the case registered by the Sheshadripuram police under sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups) and 505 (making statements conducive to public mischief) of the Indian Penal Code.
Justice Hemant Chandangoudar stated that the news anchor's custodial interrogation was unnecessary since the materials involved were in the public domain. The court scheduled the hearing for September 20 to determine whether a prima facie case of promoting hatred could be established against the anchor regarding the program.
Backdrop
In the program aired on September 11, Chaudhary alleged that a Karnataka government scheme benefiting minorities was exclusive to the Muslim community, neglecting the majority community. The scheme in question offered subsidies to members of the minority community to purchase commercial vehicles.
A newspaper advertisement for the scheme sparked controversy as BJP MPs claimed it highlighted "minority appeasement" under Congress rule. The government asserted that the scheme had existed for several years under different development corporations intended for the welfare of various communities. Similar schemes existed for other groups, and the subsidy scheme for minorities had been in place even under BJP rule in Karnataka, the government added.
In the program, Chaudhary purportedly claimed that subsidies were only provided to minorities and not to Hindus, leading to the FIR. The FIR accused the show of "meting out injustice to poor Hindus in the state" and "conspiring to disturb communal harmony in the state."
Chaudhary, the primary accused, has the chief editor and the organizer of the Hindi news channel listed as accused numbers two and three, respectively.
After the program aired, Information Technology Minister Priyank Kharge labeled it "deliberate & malicious" and announced that the government would take necessary action.
The decision to file an FIR against the anchor received criticism from BJP MP Tejasvi Surya, who accused the government of conducting a "witch-hunt" against the anchor for raising legitimate questions about a government scheme.
"This state-led witch-hunt is a direct assault on the freedom of the press. Whether it's political opponents or independent media that ask uncomfortable questions, the Congress Govt is going after everyone by abusing the law," he said in a post on X (earlier Twitter).