The Supreme Court on Tuesday reserved verdict on a plea of senior journalist Vinod Dua seeking quashing of FIR lodged against him for sedition and other offences by a local BJP leader in Himachal Pradesh over his YouTube show.
A Bench of Justices U.U. Lalit and Vineet Saran, after hearing arguments for Mr. Dua, Himachal Pradesh government and the complainant in the case, asked the parties to file written submissions in the matter within three days.
On July 20, the top court had extended till further orders the protection granted to Mr. Dua from any coercive action in the case.
The top court had said that Mr. Dua need not answer any other supplementary questions asked by Himachal Pradesh police in connection with the case.
On July 7, the top court had extended the protection to him from any coercive action and sought a report in a sealed cover on the probe conducted so far by the state police.
An FIR against Mr. Dua under provisions of Indian Penal Code for offences of sedition, public nuisance, printing defamatory materials and public mischief was lodged by BJP leader Shyam at Kumarsain police station in Shimla district on May 6 and the journalist was asked to join the probe.
Mr. Shyam has alleged that Mr. Dua, in his YouTube show, accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of using “deaths and terror attacks” to get votes.
Earlier, in an unprecedented hearing conducted on a Sunday on June 14, the top court had granted protection from arrest to Dua till further orders. However, it had refused to stay the ongoing probe against him.
It had asked Dua will have to join the investigation through video-conferencing or online mode as offered by him in his response to the summons issued by the police seeking his personal appearance.
Besides seeking quashing of the FIR, Mr. Dua, in the plea, has sought “exemplary damages” for “harassment”.
He has also sought direction from the apex court that “henceforth FIRs against media persons with at least 10 years standing be not registered unless cleared by a panel to be constituted by every State government, the composition of which should comprise of the Chief Justice of the High Court or a Judge designated by him, the leader of the Opposition and the Home Minister of the State.”