Fake news on TN migrants: SC grants OpIndia editor, CEO protection from arrest

Rightwing blog OpIndia’s editor in chief Nupur Sharma and CEO Rahul Roushan have been granted four weeks’ protection from arrest by the Supreme Court today, Bar and Bench reported.

The Tamil Nadu police had booked the duo last month for “spreading false news” about Bihari migrant workers in the state. Videos of Hindi-speaking migrants being allegedly attacked in Tamil Nadu were widely shared, but they were later debunked as fake by police and fact-checkers. 

Amongst other things, OpIndia had claimed there were “Talibani style attacks being carried out against the Hindi-speaking migrant labourers”.

The Supreme Court, however, refused to entertain a writ petition filed by Sharma and Roshan that had challenged the FIR registered by the Tamil Nadu police. The bench led by CJI DY Chandrachud said the petitioners had an alternate remedy of approaching the relevant jurisdictional high court under Section 482 CrPc for the same.

The Supreme Court also questioned the Tamil Nadu government today on invoking the National Security Act against YouTuber Manish Kashyap, who is accused of spreading fake news about migrants in Tamil Nadu. The court issued notice to the governments of Tamil Nadu and Bihar on Kashyap’s plea.

The Madras High Court had last month granted anticipatory bail to BJP’s Uttar Pradesh spokesperson Prashant Umrao in connection to a case registered against him by the Tamil Nadu police for allegedly spreading false information about attacks on Bihari migrant workers in the state.

In the wondrous times of the internet, it takes zero effort for a lie to become the truth. That’s how it played out in Tamil Nadu last month. Read this report in Newslaundry on what the BJP perhaps hoped to gain, but didn't.