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Supreme Court protects journalist in SC/ST Act case, considers independent probe panel
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Moneycontrol•15-10-2026, 14:41
Supreme Court protects journalist in SC/ST Act case, considers independent probe panel
- •The Supreme Court granted interim protection from coercive action to a woman journalist accused of making casteist remarks against Assistant Commissioner of Police Vivek Bhagat.
- •The journalist had earlier alleged that she was sexually harassed by the police officer while covering protests in Delhi, but claimed her complaint was not registered.
- •The apex court indicated it is prima facie agreeable to setting up an independent, predominantly female committee to examine complaints of sexual harassment involving women journalists.
- •The Bench declined to issue a blanket order covering every woman journalist at the protest site, clarifying that relief is confined to specific individuals identified in the petition.
- •Solicitor General Tushar Mehta argued against a broad order, highlighting the difficulty in distinguishing between professional journalists and social media content creators at protests.
Key Questions Answered
The Supreme Court granted interim protection from coercive action to the woman journalist who was accused of making casteist remarks against Assistant Commissioner of Police Vivek Bhagat.
The Supreme Court indicated it is prima facie agreeable to establishing an independent committee, with a predominantly or exclusively female composition, to review complaints of sexual harassment and assault involving women journalists covering the protests.
Indira Jaising argued that the journalist had earlier approached the police with a sexual harassment complaint against the officer which yielded no FIR, and contended that police cannot impartially investigate allegations involving one of their own personnel.
