The Allahabad High Court has stayed the arrest of a senior journalist of a Delhi-based news channel Roy Tapan Bharati in connection with FIRs lodged against him and another senior journalist for their alleged involvement in suicide by a junior reporter in Noida.
In a suicide note, deceased Priya Singh, a reporter in a Noida based news channel, had claimed that her promotion as an anchor from reporter was blocked by two senior journalists.
Output Editor of Total TV Roy Tapan Bharati filed a writ petition challenging the validity of the FIR lodged against him.
He had also sought relief from the High Court which stayed his arrest. Mr Bharati is in print and electronic media for 24 years.
The petitioner's counsel D K Singh and J P Mishra argued that the Mr Bharati had been falsely implicated in the suicide case.
The counsel said that the deceased was not in the petitioner's department and hence had not given any adverse report against her.
The judges said that the investigation might be continued but the petitioner would not be arrested under Section 306 of CrPC at Sector 20 Noida, district Gautam Buddha Nagar till submission of police report under Section 173 of CrPC.
