SC Refuses To Quash FIRs Against TV Journalist For Remarks Against Sufi Saint Moinuddin Chishti

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday refused to quash FIRs against News 18 TV anchor Amish Devgan for his alleged defamatory remark against Sufi saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti during a show on June 15. However, it said he will get protection from any coercive action if he continues to cooperate with the probe.

A bench of Justices AM Khanwilkar & Sanjiv Khanna however, clubbed all FIRs filed against Devgan and transferred them to Ajmer. The July 8 stay on investigation and coercive action against the journalist will continue, reported LiveLaw.in.

Seven FIRs have been filed in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Telangana against Devgan.

Devgan was hosting a debate on June 15 on PIL’s regarding the Place of Worship Special Provision Act on his show ‘Aar Par’. He had called Khwaja Moinuddin Chisthi, better known as Khwaja Ghreeb Nawaz, an “attacker” and “lootera”. Following that, several police complaints and FIRs were registered against the anchor across the country, the report added.

Devgan’s petition filed through Advocate Vivek Jain sought quashing of the FIRs which have invoked sections 295A (Deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs), ‪153A‬ (Promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc, and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony), 505 (Statements conducingto public mischief) and 34 (Acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the report said.