06-09-2023 : The Supreme Court has issued an interim order that grants protection from arrest until September 11 to three senior journalists who were involved in preparing a fact-finding report on behalf of the Editors’ Guild of India (EGI). This report focused on alleged biased reporting by local journalists concerning the disturbing ethnic clashes in Manipur.
The bench presiding over this case, led by Chief Justice of India Dr. Dhananjaya Yeshwant Chandrachud, has also called for a response from the state of Manipur in response to a petition filed by the EGI and the three journalists in question. The matter has been scheduled for further hearing next Monday, indicating the court’s commitment to addressing the issue promptly.
This legal proceeding began earlier in the day when the Supreme Court decided to hear the plea put forth by the EGI and the three journalists regarding the First Information Reports (FIRs) filed against them for allegedly inciting communal tension in Manipur. The plea was presented by senior lawyer Shyam Divan, representing the EGI, who emphasized the urgency of the matter due to the journalists’ concerns about potential arrest.
Divan explained that they were seeking immediate relief under Article 32 of the Indian Constitution. He outlined that the EGI had formed a fact-finding committee, consisting of three senior journalists, who conducted an investigation in Manipur and subsequently concluded that local news reports had exhibited bias. It was in response to their findings that the police filed two FIRs against these senior journalists.