The Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to hear a plea of two advocates and a journalist seeking quashing of a criminal case lodged under the harsh UAPA provisions against them for allegedly bringing facts through social media posts about the “targeted violence” against the minority community in Tripura.
A bench comprising Chief Justice N V Ramana and Justices A S Bopanna and Hima Kohli was informed by advocate Prashant Bhushan that the two lawyers and the scribe who had gone there on a fact finding mission have been proceeded against by the Tripura police under the UAPA for their social media posts and an FIR has been lodged and a notice under the CrPC has been issued to them.
“Why did not go to the High Court? You go before the High Court,” the bench observed initially and later agreed to consider listing the plea after the lawyer said that besides seeking relief of quashing of the FIR, the plea also challenged the constitutional validity of some UAPA provisions. “Please list it as these people are imminently under threat,” Bhushan said.
“Circulate the bundle. I will give a date (for hearing),” the CJI said.
Advocates, Mukesh and Ansarul Haq, and journalist Shyam Meera Singh have been accused in the FIR lodged at the West Agartala Police Station under the IPC and the UAPA provisions for allegedly disseminating information about communal violence in the State.