Besides the Union Home Ministry (MHA) and the state government, a Bench of Justices MY Eqbal and Arun Mishra also issued notice to the Press Council of India (PCI) and sought their responses to the PIL within two weeks.
The Bench was hearing the plea filed by Delhi-based journalist Satish Jain, through senior lawyer Adish C Aggarwala and advocate Aditya Singh. The PIL has sought a CBI probe into the death of the scribe, <g data-gr-id="42">Jagendra</g> Singh.
Singh was allegedly set on fire by police officials during a raid at his house in Awas Vikas Colony of Sadar Bazar area in Saharanpur on June 1. He succumbed to injuries on June 8.
An FIR was registered against ruling Samajwadi Party (SP) minister Ram Murti Singh Verma and five policemen on the basis of a complaint filed by the victim's son <g data-gr-id="40">Raghvendra</g>, after he passed away during treatment at a Lucknow hospital.
"On June 1, according to his family members, a group of policemen and goons came in two cars in <g data-gr-id="46">late</g> afternoon and barged into his house in Shahjahanpur. Initially, they had an argument with him reminding him he had been repeatedly told not to write anything about Verma, then they pinned him down, poured petrol on him and set him on fire," the petition said.
"Journalist <g data-gr-id="34">Jagendra</g> invited Ram Murti Verma's ire by posting reports on Facebook about illegal mining activities and land grabbing against the minister," it alleged.
Seeking CBI probe, the plea said in spite all the evidence, "no arrest has been made by the state police and there is every likelihood of destruction of evidence by them".
The fact that police officials and a senior politician have been arrayed in the case as accused has shaken the confidence of public in investigation conducted by the State Police, it said, adding that "it is desirable to entrust the investigation to the CBI".
"Safety of Indian journalists has long been compromised, particularly in small towns where local authorities can wield enormous power. According to PCI, a statutory press watchdog group, 79 journalists were murdered in the past two and a half years in India, with very few convictions," it said.
According to the family members of the deceased, Singh had posted something on Facebook against Verma regarding his alleged involvement in illegal mining and land grabbing, after which the minister sent policemen to his house who allegedly set the scribe on fire.
A First Information Report (FIR) has been lodged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including murder.
The Allahabad High Court had on June 16 directed the UP government to file a status report in the case within a week and asked it to inform it about the stage of investigation by June 24 on a PIL filed by an NGO, 'We The People'.
Akhilesh announces Rs 30-lakh compensation for <g data-gr-id="70">Jagendra's</g> family
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Monday announced an <g data-gr-id="72">ex-gratia</g> of Rs.30 lakh to the family of murdered journalist <g data-gr-id="73">Jagendra</g> Singh, an official said. The announcement came as the family met the chief minister here and narrated last week's killing that has evoked outrage. Before dying, the journalist alleged that Uttar Pradesh Minister of State for Backward Welfare Ram Murti Verma had ordered his killing and let loose his henchmen on him in Shahjahanpur, 175 km from Lucknow.
MP journalist murder: kin won't perform last rites
The family of local journalist Sandeep Kothari, who was burnt to death allegedly by three persons suspected to be linked to sand mafia, refused to perform his last rites, while demanding that six more persons behind the murder be arrested, on Monday. Two persons have so far been arrested for his murder, police said. The body of the 40-year-old journalist was brought to <g data-gr-id="114">Katangi</g> town in Balaghat, from Wardha in Maharashtra around <g data-gr-id="111">5am</g> on Monday and was handed over to his family, police said. The post-mortem was conducted at General Hospital in Wardha. The journalist's parents said they would perform his son's last rites only when the police gave them an assurance about arresting six more persons allegedly behind the killing.