Eight journalists including Deepak Chaurasia, Chitra Tripathi charged under POCSO Act; Here's why
In a significant development last week, a special court in Gurugram, Haryana, took a crucial step by formally levying charges against eight journalists, including prominent anchors Deepak Chaurasia, Chitra Tripathi, and Ajit Anjum. The allegations pertain to the purported broadcasting of manipulated, edited, and inappropriate videos involving a 10-year-old girl and her family. These videos were reportedly linked to a case involving the self-proclaimed spiritual leader Asaram Bapu, who is facing accusations of sexual assault.
The group of media professionals facing charges consists of Ajit Anjum, anchor Md Sohail, and reporter Sunil Dutt, all associated with News24. Additionally, editor-in-chief Chaurasia, anchors Tripathi and Rashid Hashmi, Jodhpur-based reporter Lalit Singh Badgurjar, and producer Abhinav Raj, affiliated with India News, are among those charged. The charges brought against them encompass several legal provisions, including sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Information Technology (IT) Act, and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
The charges encompass criminal conspiracy (Section 120B IPC), forgery (Sections 469 and 471 IPC), online abuse of children (Section 67B IT Act), publication or transmission of explicit content (Section 67 IT Act), disclosure of a child's identity by the media (Section 23 POCSO Act), and indecent or obscene representation of a child (Section 13C POCSO Act). The accused are alleged to have conspired to create and disseminate a manipulated video involving a minor girl and her family, which was subsequently broadcast on news channels. This act is said to have caused harm to the reputation of the victim and her family.
Moreover, the accused have been charged with forging and editing electronic records (the video clip) with the intent to tarnish the reputation of the victim and her family. They are also accused of knowingly telecasting the altered video on their respective news channels, portraying the minor girl in an inappropriate and obscene manner.
Of particular note is the charge related to Section 23 of the POCSO Act. The court's order references an incident on July 2, 2013, when religious leader Asharam Bapu visited the complainant's house. The visit was recorded on a mobile camera by an assistant or close aide of Asharam Bapu. The video was subsequently aired on both News24 and India News without complete and accurate information, potentially damaging the victim's reputation, invading her privacy, and disclosing her identity. The video depicted an inappropriate physical contact between Asharam Bapu and the minor girl. The accused, by allegedly tampering with and distorting the electronic record (video), violated Section 23 of the POCSO Act in conjunction with Section 120-B of the IPC.
During the proceedings, the accused pleaded not guilty to the charges and opted for a trial. The next phase of the case is scheduled for September 25, 2023, when the prosecution's evidence will be presented.
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Man accused of rape-murder of 5-year-old lynched to death in Bengal; Girl’s body found in pond
Alipurduar: A 40-year-old man accused of raping and murdering a five-year-old girl was allegedly tied to a tree and beaten to death by agitated locals in Alipurduar district located in West Bengal on Friday evening. Later, another man surrendered before the police claiming he was also involved in the crime, and was subsequently arrested.
The girl went missing on Friday evening. When her family began searching for the girl, they learned that she had last been seen with Mona Roy, as reported by the Indian Express.
The police said that the girl’s body was found floating in a local pond. They added that the locals caught Roy and took him to his residence where they allegedly noticed blood on the bed. Enraged by this, they tied Roy to a tree and started assaulting him.
Roy was beaten to death before the local police could reach the spot.
When the police arrived at the scene, angry locals prevented them from moving the two bodies. Eventually, a large team of police personnel was sent to the location. After two hours, they were able to remove the bodies from the area.
The bodies have been sent for a post-mortem examination.
Meanwhile, a man named Bhakta Roy approached the police, claiming that he was involved in the crime and feared for his safety from the angry mob. He was subsequently arrested.
Y. Raghuvanshi, Superintendent of Police, Alipurduar, asserted it is a heinous crime, adding that they have started a detailed investigation in connection to the incident.
