The Calcutta High Court has issued an order to delay any coercive action against journalists of Bengali newspaper Anandabazar Patrika until December 15, in response to a case filed against them for their use of the term 'saffron hooliganism' in a headline. This decision comes following protests outside their office and vandalism.
The Calcutta High Court has temporarily barred the West Bengal Police from taking any coercive action against journalists of Bengali newspaper Anandabazar Patrika until December 15, as reported by Live Law. This order is in connection with a first information report (FIR) that was filed against the editorial team for using the phrase 'saffron hooliganism' in a headline concerning clashes between members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and Left-affiliated student groups at Kolkata’s Jadavpur University on August 20. The ABVP is the student wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the parent organization of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.
The FIR was registered against editor Ishani Dutta Roy and chief reporter Soma Mukherjee. The case will next be heard on December 1.
On September 2, the High Court declined an urgent hearing on the matter, suggesting that the journalists should file a petition seeking the quashing of the FIR instead. The lawyer representing the journalists informed the court that such a petition had already been filed and requested immediate relief. However, the bench stated that the matter should be processed through the regular course and would be heard according to the applicable procedure.
On September 3, the state guaranteed the court that no coercive action would be taken against the journalists if they complied with notices issued by the investigating authorities. This commitment followed protests outside the newspaper’s office and vandalism, including an incident where a group of men smeared saffron paint on the building.
The clashes at the Faculty of Engineering and Technology Students’ Union general meeting on August 20 resulted in several injuries, with students being taken to a hospital.
Source:
Scroll.in
