R-Day violence: SC stays arrest of Tharoor, Sardesai & others in FIRs lodged for tweets

New Delhi: The Supreme Court Tuesday stayed the arrest of Congress MP Shashi Tharoor and six journalists including Rajdeep Sardesai in connection with FIRs lodged against them for their alleged “misleading” tweets on the violence during the farmers’ tractor rally here on Republic Day.

A bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde issued notices and sought responses from the Centre and others on the petitions filed by Tharoor, Sardesai and journalists Mrinal Pande, Zafar Agha, Paresh Nath, Vinod K Jose and Anant Nath.

When the bench said it was issuing notice in the matter, senior lawyer Kapil Sibal, appearing for Tharoor, said that no coercive action be taken against the petitioners in the meantime.

“Nothing is going to happen. Where is the danger,” said the bench, also comprising Justices A S Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian.

“We will hear you after two weeks and stay the arrest in the meanwhile,” the bench said.

On January 30, Delhi Police had filed a case against Tharoor, Sardesai and others.

Earlier, Tharoor and six journalists were booked by the Noida Police for alleged sedition, among other charges, over the violence during the farmers’ tractor rally in Delhi, officials had said.

Madhya Pradesh Police had also filed a case against Tharoor and the six journalists over their alleged ‘misleading’ tweets on the violence during the farmers’ tractor rally in Delhi.

On January 26, thousands of protesting farmers had clashed with the police in the national capital during the tractor rally called by the farmer unions to highlight their demand for repeal of the three farm laws.