New Delhi: 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.
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 sought the responses of Madhya Pradesh and Delhi governments on the plea of Shashikant Jatav and Amarkant Singh Chouhan.
“We are not entertaining the plea. However, looking at the allegations, we permit the petitioners to move the concerned high court within two weeks from today. Till the time the petitioners move high court …the petitioners shall not be arrested,” Justice Mishra said.
The journalists alleged that they were kidnapped, assaulted in custody and subjected to casteist slurs by a senior police officer and his subordinates.
The top court had previously asked why the petitioners did not make the superintendent of police of Bhind a party to the petition.
“It is very easy to say all kinds of things against an IPS officer without making him a party. Whatever comes to your mind, just put it in black and white against the IPS officer,”
it added.