News Portal Booked For ‘Defamatory’ Article On Odisha 5T Secretary

Bhubaneswar: A news portal has been booked for allegedly publishing a defamatory article about 5T secretary V K Pandian.

According to reports, Odia News Book on September 12 published an article with the headline ‘Pandian took Rs 40 lakh to protect DFO?’ in connection with the mysterious death of Assistant Conservator of Forests Saumya Ranjan Mohapatra.

Notably, Paralakhemundi DFO Sangram Keshari Behera was grilled and made to undergo a lie detection test following a complaint by Soumya’s family alleging his involvement in the case.

Following the publication of the article, the state government had asked the cyber cell of the Crime Branch to verify the content. Inspector Bibhu Ranjan Sundaray, who was entrusted with the probe, found the article to be “false and malicious”, the TOI reported.

The news portal, registered with Facebook, belong to one Lakka Rajashekhar of Nalgonda, Telangana. A case has been registered against him under Sections 465 (punishment for forgery), 469 (forgery for purpose of harming reputation) and 471 (using as genuine a forged document or electronic record) of the India Penal Code, the report added.

This comes close on the heels of the arrest of Sudhansu Rout, editor of another news channel, his associate Smruti Ranjan Behera, on September 4 for allegedly harassing Olympian Dutee Chand by threatening to telecast defamatory news about her.

While denying them bai, Additional Sessions Judge Court had expressed concern over the sharp rise of such crimes against unsuspecting citizens by anti-socials in the guise of journalism, especially in the totally unregulated social media sector.

Also Read: Dutee Chand Case: Court Rejects Bail Plea Of 2 Scribes, Talks About Anti-Socials In Guise of Web Jurnos