Supreme Court protects MP scribes against coercive action, asks them to move high court   

The Supreme Court on Monday protected in the interim two Madhya Pradesh-based journalists who were allegedly assaulted by the state police for reporting on illegal sand mining activities.

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A Bench of Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and Manmohan, however, refused to examine their plea and asked them to move the Madhya Pradesh High Court instead.

A separate top court Bench on June 4 had sought the responses of the MP and Delhi governments on the plea of Shashikant Jatav and Amarkant Singh Chouhan.

The apex court, while granting them interim relief, posted the hearing on June 9. “We are not entertaining the plea. However, looking at the allegations, we permit the petitioners to move the HC concerned within two weeks from today. Till the time the petitioners move high court, they shall not be arrested,” Justice Mishra said.

The journalists from Bhind district recently alleged that they were beaten and manhandled on May 1 inside the office of the superintendent of police, an allegation denied by the officer.

The SC had previously asked why the petitioners did not make the Bhind SP a party to the petition. Besides, it asked why the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and the NCT of Delhi were made parties.