The Supreme Court on Friday passed an interim order and stayed multiple FIRs registered by West Bengal Police against right-wing news portal OpIndia's editors and founders, reported Live Law.
According to the report, senior Advocate Mahesh Jethmalani, appearing for the petitioners (Nupur Sharma, Rahul Roushan, Ajeet Bharti and Vaibhav Sharma), said that the FIRs amounted to abuse of law by the West Bengal Police to suppress press freedom.
He added that actions were taken for carrying news reports which criticized the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government. He further said that though other news organisations carried the reports, OpIndia editors were selectively targeted by the Police.
Taking to Twitter, OpIndia's editor Nupur Sharma said that the FIRs were filed maliciously by the West Bengal State Govt and added that they will make the details of the FIRs public. "The Supreme Court has stayed multiple FIRs filed against Me, my husband and other editors of OpIndia. The FIRs were filed maliciously by the West Bengal State Govt. Me and my husband were interrogated by the police in this regard too," she said.
"We will make public the full details of the FIRs filed against me and my husband by the West Bengal govt to which, Ajeet Bharti and Rahul Roushan was also made a party," she added.
"I have always had utmost faith in the process of law and that justice prevails for those who side with Dharma. SC has upheld my faith. Mahesh Jethmalini ji, who appeared for us pro bono reinstates my faith in the goodness of people. I can’t thank him enough," she further said.
