The Punjab and Haryana High Court has recently granted interim bail to Times Now journalist Bhawana Kishore in a rising case from an alleged rash driving incident where she was accused of insulting a Dalit woman.
Justice Augustine George Masih first went through the First Information Report (FIR) and there submitted that offenses under the Act were not made out.
The single-judge reasoned, “Apart from this aspect, the petitioner No.1 being a senior correspondent of National Network and a 31 years old lady deserves to be granted interim bail in the present facts and circumstances of the case.”
Further, the petitioners stated that they didn’t know the complainant and had no assertion that they had ever met. Therefore, the question of using offensive words as claimed didn’t arise.
The court’s attention was drawn to Section 8(c) of the act to contend that an accused is required to have the victim’s personal knowledge or their family and only then can assure of the offense being committed could arise.
Furthermore, the petitioners contended that offenses under the SC & ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act were attributed to them in order to make the offense non-bailable as the other offenses under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) are bailable.
The 3 petitioners, including Kishore, were stated to have been traveling to Ludhiana for an event relating to inaugurating government-run clinics on an invitation from the media coordinator.
The State government opposed the bail plea, arguing that the victim’s family must be notified before the court can hear the case.
However, the lack of a case being made out against the petitioners, the court granted an interim bail while asking the State to inform the complainant of the proceedings.
The case will be heard again today.
