Vinod Dua Sedition Case: SC Refuses to Stay Probe, Seeks Report

The court said Dua cannot be arrested till next date of hearing, and asked him to join the probe.

File image of senior journalist Vinod Dua.

(Photo: YouTube Screengrab)

In a rare Sunday hearing, the Supreme Court on 14 June refused to stay a probe of the Himachal Pradesh police and sought a status report on investigation against journalist Vinod Dua in a sedition case.

The court was hearing a plea by journalist Vinod Dua seeking quashing of a sedition case filed against him by a local Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader in Shimla over his YouTube show.

The bench comprising Justices UU Lalit, MM Shantanagoudar and Vineet Saran, granted interim relief to Dua and said he cannot be arrested till next date of hearing ie 6 July, and asked him to join the probe.

The BJP leader’s complaint said that the journalist had accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of using “death and terror attacks” to secure votes, on his show on 30 March. On the basis of this complaint, the charges levied against Dua include Sections 124A (sedition), 268 (public nuisance), 501 (printing matter known to be defamatory) and 505 (statements conducive to public mischief of the Indian Penal Code.

Himachal Pradesh police, who had visited Dua’s residence on Friday, 12 June, to serve the notice, had summoned him for questioning. But Dua, in his reply, refused to visit the police station citing his age, health conditions and COVID-19 threats.

Earlier, on another complaint over the same show, the Delhi High Court had stayed an investigation into a case against Dua.