A day after an FIR was registered against Aaj Tak news anchor Sudhir Chaudhary for allegedly spreading misinformation about a commercial vehicle subsidy scheme, claiming that it only provided benefits for religious minorities in Karnataka and not Hindus, the state High Court noted that such coverage could lead people to develop hatred against minorities. The anchor and Aaj Tak approached the court seeking quashing of the FIR.
While the court noted that there is no need for custodial interrogation, it observed that a prima facie case is made out against Aaj Tak news anchor Sudhir Chaudhary for alleged communal coverage of State's ‘Svalambi Sarathi Scheme', whereby subsidy is given to religious minorities for purchase of vehicles, according to a report by LiveLaw.
"Role of media is to provide information. But this is not the (way in which) information (is) to be provided...Average man may develop hatred towards minority also, saying they have been given (incentive) and not me...It is not that benefits are given only to minorities...(incentives are given) even to corporate entities also...it is not only confined to minorities," the bench orally remarked.
A single bench of Justice Hemant Chandangoudar asked the Karnataka Police to not take any coercive action against Chaudhury until final disposal of the matter next week.
Case against Sudhir Chaudhury
The Hindi TV news channel ran a show on Monday claiming that the 'Swavalambi Sarathi 'scheme by the Karnataka Minorities Development Corporation is not offered to Hindus.
News anchor Sudhir Chaudhary alleged that the Congress government in Karnataka had said that the scheme would be made available to those from the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, but no such notification had been released so far.
While the vehicle subsidy scheme Swavalambi Sarathi can be availed by minority, SC/ST and backward classes communities, the Airavatha Scheme can be availed by SC/ST community members. However, the news anchor failed to mention the latter and claimed that the former scheme was discriminatory as Hindus could not access it,
Soon after his statements came to the fore, Karnataka minister Priyank Kharge accused him of spreading misinformation and threatened legal action. "Specific allegation (in the news report) was that government is providing scheme only to minority and depriving the Hindus. There is prima facie case for investigation," the judge orally remarked today.
