Bail given to three journalists arrested for allegedly airing ‘defamatory content’ about Yogi Adityanath

Three journalists with a Noida-based television channel were granted bail today after being arrested for allegedly airing defamatory content about Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath.

Nation Live‘s channel head Ishika Singh and editor Anuj Shukla were arrested on June 8-9 and remanded to 14 days in judicial custody for airing a panel discussion over the allegations made by a woman who claimed to have been in love in with the chief minister and was seeking a commitment from him. Nation Live‘s Anshul Kaushik was arrested in the same matter on June 11. The show was aired on June 6, and featured the woman as a call-in guest.

The court order granting them bail stated: “The accused are in Jail since June 9 and June 11. Looking at the facts; there are sufficient grounds to grant bail without commenting on the merits/ demerits of the case.” It also said the discussion “did not seem to have caused enmity, hatred and disaffection in the society”.

However, the three journalists have not been released yet “due to the order in another case of fraud and forgery still pending in the court” in connection to Nation Live‘s permits, News18 reports. Scroll quotes the Station House Officer (Phase 3) Devendra Singh as saying: “Their plea for bail was taken up by the District and Sessions Court in Surajpur today. They have been granted bail in the first case. The hearing in the second is still to take place. They are still in the jail.”

When arresting the Nation Live journalists, the Uttar Pradesh police had issued a statement saying: “The channel aired the video without verification. This has infuriated party workers. A case in this regard has been registered by sub-inspector Dhamendra Singh under sections 505 (1), 505 (2), 501 and 153 of IPC.” It also said the channel was operating in the name of ‘Network 10’ and without a licence.