New Delhi: The SC on Friday, 8th July issued a notice in the plea filed by the Zee News anchor Rohit Ranjan which sought protection from the coercive action for the committed offence. The court has ordered that no coercive action (such as arrest) should be taken against the anchor by any police authorities who have filed criminal cases against him.
The vacation bench of Justices Indira Banerjee and JK Maheshwari hearing the case issued a notice on the request after Adv Siddhart Luthra arguing for Rohit Ranjan raised the TT Antony argument. As per the order, Ranjan cannot be arrested until the court hears the matter next.
Ranjan approached the Supreme Court asking for relief against the multiple FIRs filed against him, citing the apex court’s TT Antony judgment from 2001 which says that multiple FIRs regarding the same set of facts amount to an abuse of police powers.
Multiple FIRs have been filed against Ranjan for playing a doctored video during his show that falsely appeared to show Former Congress President Rahul Gandhi defending the killers of a tailor in Udaipur.
CG police on July 5th attempted to arrest Ranjan from his residence in Indirapuram, in connection with the case filed by them over his broadcast of the misleading video. However, a controversy sparked over the arrest and the anchor was granted bail by a local court the same day.