Shivangi Prakash-
The Allahabad High Court has dismissed a petition brought by Mohammad Anees, the Secretary of the Gareeb Nawaz Masjid Committee, and Mohd. Naeem, a local resident of Barabanki, seeking to have the Uttar Pradesh Police’s First Information Report (FIR) against them quashed.
The FIR was filed against them and the news portal The Wire and two of its journalists, for their reporting on the suspected illegal demolition of the Gareeb Nawaz Mosque (Ramsanehighat, Barabanki) in Uttar Pradesh.
The bench of Justice Ramesh Sinha and Justice Narendra Kumar Johari stated that the petitioners’ right to file a pre-arrest bail plea in the case would remain open and that the Court could not cancel the criminal proceedings.
Mohammad Anees, the secretary of the mosque committee, and Mohammad Naeem, a local citizen, are named in the FIR. The Wire journalists were seen talking with them in the video. The FIR was filed in response to a complaint filed by Mahendra Singh.
The FIR claims that the Journalists released a video on Twitter about the legal demolition of an “illegal construction” to purposefully create “animosity in society” and “disturb communal peace”.
During the hearing, the applicants’ counsel argued that the charges were baseless.
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