Delhi court directs FIR against Abhijit Mitra for objectionable posts against Newslaundry journos
A Delhi court on Wednesday directed the registration of a FIR against Abhijit Iyer-Mitra over objectionable social media posts targeting journalists of Newslaundry, including Manisha Pande, Bar and Bench reported.
The order was passed by Judicial Magistrate First Class Bhanu Pratap Singh of the Saket Court.
The Court observed that the accused made ‘sexually coloured’ remarks against Manisha Pande and other journalists.
It noted that the tweets were prima facie intended to insult Pande and that she was specifically named in the posts.
“Therefore, on perusal of the application and the material placed on record by the complainant, this Court is of the view that the content of the tweets posted by the accused on “X” platform discloses commission of cognizable offences under section 75(3) and 79 of BNS,” the order said.
Stating that there is a need for investigation in the matter, the court stated that “it is of the view that police investigation is necessary as the offence has been committed in cyber space on platform "X".
“Therefore, police investigation is necessary to verify the user account on platform "X" from which the said tweets were published,” it added.
“Further police investigation is also necessary to trace and recover the computer source/electronic device from which the said tweets were published. This Court is also of the view that the Action Taken Report which was filed by PSI Ombir in the present case is not satisfactory as the above stated tweets were not considered in the report," the order further read.
Manisha Pande and six other journalists approached the Court, alleging that Iyer-Mitra referred to them as prostitutes repeatedly in a series of posts and articles on the social media platform X.
The journalists had also moved the Delhi High Court with a defamation suit against Iyer-Mitra. The suit challenged his remarks describing the organisation as a “basti/brothel" and its journalists as "prostitutes".
They argued that the remarks amount to a “sustained campaign of vilification”, which caused them mental trauma, harassment, and embarrassment. The petition sought a permanent injunction, a written apology, and damages of Rs 2 crore.
On May 21, 2025, the Court recorded Iyer-Mitra’s undertaking to delete certain posts within five hours. The matter remains pending before the High Court.
Advocates Bani Dikshit and Udhav Khanna appeared for the Newslaundry journalists in the case.
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Punjab: 15-year-old girl gives birth to baby months after alleged rape
Chandigarh (PTI): A 15-year-old girl has delivered a baby in Jalandhar, months after she was allegedly raped by a boy in Amritsar, police said on Thursday.
The class 9 student has been living with her aunt in Jalandhar for the past seven months, said the aunt who filed the complaint of rape to the police.
When contacted over phone on Thursday, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Phillaur, Bharat Masih said, "We have registered a Zero FIR in the matter as the alleged rape took place in Amritsar.." He said the accused is 16 years old.
The victim's aunt said in her complaint that a month and a half back, the teenager complained of abdominal pain, due to which, she was taken for a checkup to a private doctor in Jalandhar's Nurmahal. The doctor prescribed some medicines, she said.
On April 19, the girl complained of severe abdominal pain, after which she took the teenager to a private hospital in Phillaur in Jalandhar. The doctor there referred the girl to another hospital, where she was told that she was pregnant.
Later, she gave birth to a baby in the hospital. When the girl's aunt asked her about her pregnancy, she said that a boy in Amritsar who lived in her locality had raped her, the complainant said.
A police station under Jalandhar Rural police jurisdiction has registered a Zero FIR in the matter and the boy has been booked under relevant provisions of the POCSO Act and the BNS on April 20, police said.
A Zero FIR is an FIR that can be filed in any police station, irrespective of place of incident/jurisdiction and the same can be later transferred to the appropriate police station.
