India: Journalist arrested for allegedly uploading defamatory content

Mumbai police arrested Maharashtra journalist Tushar Abaji Kharat for allegedly uploading defamatory content on his news channel against a State Minister. The arrest came after the Minister registered a police complaint. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its affiliate, the Indian Journalists’ Union (IJU), to condemn the arrest of journalist Tushar Kharat, demanding that he be released and also all charges be dropped.

Maharashtra journalist Tushar Abaji Kharat. Courtesy: Facebook

On March 9, Tushar Abaji Kharat, a YouTube journalist and editor of the YouTube channel Lay Bhari, was arrested by Mumbai’s Satara police on a complaint registered by state rural development minister Jaykumar Gore for allegedly uploading defamatory content against him. The Vaduj court awarded Kharat three days of police custody.

According to police reports, Minister Jaykumar Gore registered a complaint in which he stated that Kharat had uploaded defamatory content against him on his news channel regarding the 2016 case. He threatened that he would ‘fabricate’ more such cases with the help of two to three women. Gore added that Kharat had allegedly sought INR50 million (USD574,868) to settle the issue.

The Indian Express reported the police arrested “…the editor of Lay Bhari….booked in him in two cases. In the first case, Kharat has been booked on charges of hurling casteist remarks against Shekhar Patole, an aide of Gore. In the second case, Kharat has been accused of conspiring to defame Gore by raking up sexual assault and molestation cases and demanding Rs 5 crore.”

Commenting on the defamatory campaign, Gore told the Times of India that Kharat had taken an FIR registered against him in 2017 in which a woman had alleged that Gore had sent her highly objectionable photos as the basis of a smear campaign against the minister on his YouTube channel. Gore reiterated that the Bombay High Court had exonerated him.

Additionally, Kharat didn’t ask for hush money to stop the campaign directly but through another person, allegedly the same woman who had filed the 2017 police report at the Satara City police station.

The Hindustan Times reported, “The arrest comes days after Gore moved a breach of privilege motion against Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar, and Kharat, the editor of the Marathi YouTube channel Lay Bhari. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) minister accused them of defaming him by bringing up an old sexual harassment and molestation case.” He “came under fire after the opposition on Wednesday raised a 2017 molestation case from his constituency.”

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) affiliate, the Indian Journalists’ Union (IJU), condemned the arrest of Maharashtra journalist Tushar Kharat. In a statement posted on its Facebook page, the IJU president and former member of the Press Council of India, Geetartha Pathak, and the IJU Secretary General and Vice President of IFJ, Sabina Inderjit, said that Tushar Kharat published a story based on allegations made by some opposition leaders on the floor of the state assembly.

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) called on the Maharashtra Government to ensure that the case against YouTube journalist Tushar Kharat is decided according to the law and that the journalist is not prosecuted for doing his job.

The IJU said, “The IJU condemns the arrest of Tushar Kharat, who published a story based on allegations made on the floor of the State Assembly by some opposition leaders; therefore, arresting the journalist for publishing a story related to a state assembly proceeding is not a crime. Allegation of breach of privilege against the journalist for his/her reportage is unacceptable. IJU leaders demanded the release of the journalist and also urged the government to drop all charges against Tushar Kharat.”

 The IFJ said, “The IFJ condemns the arrest of Tushar Kharat and calls on the authorities to ensure the journalist is not held for doing his work. IFJ is concerned about the media situation in India as journalists and media workers are being targeted for doing their jobs, which is a blow to the freedom of the press and expression, which are fundamental rights guaranteed under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution of India.”

Comments