The Karnataka High Court has directed the government to tell the Bengaluru police not to take precipitative action against Aaj Tak’s Consulting Editor Sudhir Chaudhary in a case registered against him over a programme on a scheme of state minority corporation, according to news reports.
The court issued the order while hearing a plea filed by Chaudhary for quashing of the FIR.
The case was filed after an official of the Karnataka Minorities Development Corporation complained against Chaudhary for “conspiring to disrupt communal harmony”.
The court also did not grant an interim stay on the investigation in the case.
Hearing the case, Justice Hemant Chandangoudar said Chaudhary’s custodial interrogation was not needed since the materials in the case were in the public domain. The court posted the matter for hearing on September 20 to decide whether a prima facie case of promoting hatred can be made out against him.
The programme, aired on September 11, alleged that a Karnataka government scheme to provide benefits to minorities was restricted to the Muslim community and not extended to the majority community.