The Supreme Court on Friday granted protection from possible coercive action to the editor and owner of OpIndia, a Hindutva propaganda portal in a criminal case lodged against them over allegations of spreading fake news about attacks on Bihar migrants in Tamil Nadu.
A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justice P S Narasimha, however, refused to consider the plea for quashing of the FIR lodged in Tamil Nadu and asked the editor and the owner of OpIndia, to move the Madras High Court for the relief, PTI reported.
OpIndia told the top court that the impugned news has already been taken back and now the editor and owner,Nupur J Sharma and Rahul Roushan, are facing arrest.
“We direct there shall be no coercive action against them for four weeks,” the bench said.
“Jethmalani, how can we quash the FIR under Article 32 of the Constitution? You please go to the Madras High Court,” the bench said.
