One-liner: The Supreme Court on Wednesday stayed the criminal proceedings against two women journalists and media house booked by the Tripura police for their reporting on alleged communal violence in the State.
Proceedings stayed: The top court also stayed the proceedings against a third journalist, an Associate Editor in the same media house, who was recently summoned by the police in connection with the reports on violence.
Need to know: The plea said that if the State is allowed to criminalize the very act of fact-finding and unbiased reporting then the only facts that will come in the public domain are those that are convenient to the state.
Background: Recently, the north-eastern state witnessed incidents of arson, looting, and violence after reports emerged from Bangladesh that the Hindu minorities there had been attacked during Durga Puja on allegations of blasphemy.
Source: PTI