New Delhi: In a relief to veteran journalist Vinod Dua, the Supreme Court on Tuesday extended the protection granted to him from any coercive action in the sedition case lodged by the Himachal Pradesh Police till July 15.
A bench headed by Justice U U Lalit, in a hearing conducted through video conferencing, restrained the Himachal Pradesh police from arresting Dua in the case and decided to hear the journalist's plea next Wednesday.
Senior advocate Vikas Singh, appearing for the journalist, said the questionnaire sent to his client by the police was nothing but harassment. To this the top court said that Dua, who has joined the police probe virtually, is not required to answer supplementary questions of police in the case till the next hearing.
Vinod Dua was served the questionnaire by the police after he refused to visit the Kumarsain police station in Shimla because of his health, age and the COVID-19 protocol for travel and quarantine. He, however, has joined the police probe virtually.
Earlier, the top court had assembled on a Sunday and had granted protection from arrest to Dua till "further orders" in the sedition case.
Dua has been charged under sections 124A (sedition), 268 (public nuisance), 501 (printing matter known to be defamatory) and 505 (statements conducive to public mischief) on the basis of a complaint last month by BJP's Mahasu unit president Ajay Shyam. The BJP leader had complained that Dua made bizarre allegations on his 15-minute YouTube show on March 30. The BJP leader alleged that Dua had instigated violence against the government and the prime minister by spreading false and malicious news.
The Editors Guild of India had issued a statement on the FIR against Dua and said that it was "a brazen attack on his free speech and fair comment". The Guild said that the FIR against Dua was "an instrument of harassment setting off a process that is itself a punishment.
(With inputs from PTI)
