The Supreme Court will hear on Tuesday a plea challenging the arrest of journalist Prashant Kanojia in connection with an alleged defamatory post on Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
A vacation bench comprising Justices Indira Banerjee and Ajay Rastogi agreed to hear the plea moved by Kanojia's wife Jigisha.
Senior lawyer Nitya Ramakrishnan, who appeared for the petitioner, submitted that the UP Police did not follow the due procedure of law while arresting the journalist.
Kanojia was arrested on Saturday for making certain "objectionable comments" against Adityanath on social media and for "spreading rumours". He was taken into custody from Delhi after a case was registered at Hazratganj police station in Lucknow.
"The arrest was made on the basis of evidence and after interrogation, he confessed to his crime," a press note issued by the police said.
Kanojia has been booked under sections 500 (defamation), 505 (statements conducing to public mischief) of the Indian Penal Code and section 67 (publishing or transmitting obscene material in electronic form) of the Information Technology Act.
On Sunday, the Editors Guild of India had condemned the arrest of Kanojia, Eshika Singh, head of Noida-based new channel Nation Live and Anuj Shukla, an editor of the channel, in connection with the case.
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