The Supreme Court Thursday sought Uttar Pradesh government’s reply on a bail plea of a journalist arrested under the stringent UP Gangsters and Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act for alleged blackmailing and extortion of Noida police officials.
The top court asked the Allahabad High Court to proceed with the similar plea before it concerning the bail of journalist and decide the issue expeditiously.
A bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices B R Gavai and Surya Kant issued notice to the state government and sought its reply within two weeks.
Advocates Prashant Bhushan and Govind Ji said the journalist was arrested in August last year but the high court was not deciding his bail plea.
Bhushan claimed the high court has been frequently adjourning the matter and giving opportunity to the state government to file counter affidavit, without appreciating uncontroverted facts on record and baseless, motivated and uncorroborated charges levelled against the journalist.
He said petitioner Nitish Pandey is a journalist and not a gangster that he can be booked under the stringent law.
Bhushan said he had carried several news stories on his news portal against Noida police exposing corruption in the department.