The Delhi High Court on Tuesday declined to grant an interim stay on the investigation against a woman journalist accused of making casteist remarks against a police officer during a protest near Jantar Mantar earlier this month. The Court, however, kept her request for interim relief open and sought responses from the Delhi Police and the complainant officer.
Justice Mini Pushkarna issued notice on the journalist’s petition seeking quashing of the FIR and directed the respondents to submit their replies before November 16, when the matter will be taken up for final hearing.
The Court clarified that it had neither rejected the request for interim protection nor granted any relief at this stage, observing that the matter required consideration.
A similar order was passed on a separate petition filed by a male colleague of the journalist, who has also challenged the FIR registered against him.
Journalist Alleges FIR Was Filed to Intimidate Her
During the proceedings, counsel representing the woman journalist argued that the criminal case initiated by Assistant Commissioner of Police Vivek Bhagat was intended to discourage her from pursuing a sexual assault complaint she had previously filed against him.
The journalist’s sexual assault allegations against the ACP are currently under investigation by the Delhi Police Crime Branch.
Her counsel maintained that the FIR lodged on Bhagat’s complaint was a retaliatory measure aimed at pressuring her not to proceed with her allegations against the officer.
Allegations Arising From Jantar Mantar Protest
The criminal proceedings against the independent journalist and others stem from a complaint submitted by ACP Vivek Bhagat, who is posted in the Connaught Place sub-division of New Delhi district.
Bhagat alleged that he was subjected to caste-based remarks, public humiliation and defamatory statements during a protest held near Jantar Mantar earlier this month.
Following his complaint, the Delhi Police registered an FIR invoking relevant provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, along with Sections 221, 356 and 3 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
The High Court has now sought replies from the police and the complainant officer on the petitions challenging the FIR. The matter is scheduled for further consideration on November 16.
