The Supreme Court has granted major relief to former Zee Rajasthan and Zee 24 Ghanta channel head Ashish Dave, putting an interim stay on his arrest. The case stems from an FIR filed by Zee Media Corporation Limited, which accused Dave of extortion, fraud, and damaging the channel’s reputation.

The FIR was registered on September 4 at Jaipur’s Ashok Nagar police station based on a complaint by company representative Sanju Raju. According to the complaint, Dave allegedly misused his position to demand money from multiple vendors and external parties, threatening negative coverage if they did not comply.

The complaint alleged that these actions caused reputational damage and financial loss to the company. Dave was also terminated during this period. Multiple sections of the BNS were invoked in the FIR, with an additional section added later during the investigation.

The police stated to the court that several witnesses accused Dave of exerting pressure to extract money. Some witnesses claimed that payments were collected repeatedly through an intermediary. Police have seized documents, bank records, and pen drives as part of the investigation.

Challenging the allegations, Dave approached the Rajasthan High Court seeking the FIR’s quashing, calling it false and vague. He argued that the dispute was essentially between him and the company and did not constitute a criminal offence.

However, the high court refused to quash the FIR, holding that the allegations were serious and required investigation. The court observed that while the media is the fourth pillar of democracy, this does not grant journalists or officials the freedom to misuse their authority. It allowed the investigation to continue, directing that Dave be given notice before any coercive action and that he cooperate fully with the probe.

Dave then challenged the order in the Supreme Court. On December 1, the Supreme Court issued notices to the Rajasthan Police and the company, seeking their responses. Crucially, the court extended the interim protection granted by the High Court, directing that no coercive action be taken against Dave for now, provided he continues to cooperate with the investigation.

No arrests have been made in the case. Dave has already appeared for questioning, and the matter now awaits the next hearing in the Supreme Court.

In times of misinformation, you need news you can trust. We’ve got you covered. Subscribe to Newslaundry and power our work.