Supreme Court extends protection to members of Editors Guild in FIRs lodged in Manipur

The Supreme Court on September 15 extended by two weeks the protection from coercive action it has granted to four members of the Editors Guild of India (EGI) in connection with two FIRs lodged against them in Manipur for allegedly promoting enmity between different groups.

A bench of Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra sought the response of the complainant, who had lodged the FIRs against the EGI and its four members, asking as to how the offence of promoting enmity between different ethnic groups was made out against them.

The Manipur government, represented by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, said the top court may protect the EGI and the members for some more time and let the plea be transferred to the Delhi High Court if the bench wished so.

Also Read: Army invited us to visit Manipur: Editors Guild tells Supreme Court

Earlier on September 1, the Editors Guild of India (EGI) informed the Supreme Court on September 11 that its delegation had visited Manipur at the invitation of the Army to conduct an "objective assessment" of the "unethical and ex parte reporting" by the local media.

“We did not volunteer to go there. It is the Army that requested us. We got a letter from the Army,” senior advocate Kapil Sibal, for the EGI, submitted before a Bench headed by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud.

The Chief Justice was puzzled why the Army wanted the EGI to go to Manipur.