HC stays FIR proceedings against Journalists, RTI activist in CM Helicopter misuse report case
Babushahi Bureau
Chandigarh, January 12, 20626: The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Monday ordered a stay on further proceedings in an FIR registered against four individuals, including an RTI activist and journalists, for allegedly spreading misinformation regarding the use of the Punjab Chief Minister’s official helicopter.
The petitioners had approached the High Court seeking quashing of FIR No. 67, registered at the Cyber Crime Police Station in Ludhiana. The FIR was lodged under Sections 353(1), 353(2) and 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which deal with public mischief, promotion of disharmony and criminal conspiracy.
According to the petition, the case originated from a social media post made by Manik Goyal, a law student and RTI activist. Goyal had raised questions about the movement of a helicopter allotted to the Chief Minister on December 8, at a time when the CM was on an official visit to Japan. The post was based on flight-tracking information accessed through a publicly available online application, questioning who had used the helicopter during the Chief Minister’s absence.
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