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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Hindus should ask religion of shopkeepers before buying anything from them: Minister Nitesh Rane
Ratnagiri, Apr 25 (PTI): Maharashtra minister Nitesh Rane on Friday said Hindus should ask the religion of shopkeepers before buying anything from them, controversial remarks coming in the backdrop of the Pahalgam terror attack.
Heavily-armed terrorists struck a prime tourist location in Pahalgam in south Kashmir on April 22, killing at least 26 people, mostly tourists from other states.
According to some of the survivors, terrorists asked name and religion of male tourists before shooting them. The survivors also said the assailants asked some of the tourists to recite the 'kalma' (an Islamic declaration of faith) and those who failed to do so were shot dead.
Addressing a gathering in Ratnagiri district's Dapoli town, minister Rane said, "They asked our religion before killing us. So Hindus must also ask their religion before buying anything. If they are asking your religion and killing you, then you should also ask their religion before shopping or buying anything. Hindu 'sangathans' (organisations) should raise such a demand."
Chances are some shopkeepers will not tell their religion or will just lie about their faith, the BJP leader said.
"Whenever you go for shopping, ask their religion. If they say they are Hindus, then tell them to recite Hanuman Chalisa, If they don't know how to recite Hanuman Chalisa (devotional hymn in praise of Lord Hanuman) then don't buy anything from them," he told the crowd.
Referring to Aurangzeb, Rane maintained the Mughal emperor did not spare even his father and brother.
"Look at Aurangzeb. He did not respect even his father and brother. If he did not respect his father and brother, then how can they respect you people?" he asked.
"If they are behaving this way about religion then why should we buy things from them and make them rich? You people will have to take a pledge that whenever you make any purchase, you should buy it only from a Hindu," Rane told the gathering.
