The Kerala High Court on Wednesday issued directions, saying sufficient number of police personnel have to be deployed in all regional offices of Asianet News channel in the event of violence. A group of SFI activists had barged into the regional office of Asianet News in Kochi on March 3 and disrupted the shooting of a news programme, alleging that the channel had telecast fake news depicting a minor girl as a victim of drug abuse. Besides, close on the heels of the SFI protest, a case was registered against three journalists of the channel under the POCSO Act and IPC based on a complaint from CPI(M)-backed legislator P V Anwar that said the journalists had committed the offence of non-reporting a POCSO offence apart from tarnishing the image of the state government in their programme titled “narcotics is a dirty business”. In the wake of the Kochi incident, all regional offices of Asianet have been given police protection. However, the channel approached the High Court, apprehending further violence and threat from the SFI and DYFI, student and youth outfits of the ruling CPI(M), respectively. The bench of Justice N Nagaresh observed that if there is any likelihood of violence, police have to give protection in advance and should not wait for the things to happen and then investigate. Referring to the controversy over the alleged fake news, the channel submitted to the court that “alarming spike in drug usage and abuse among schoolchildren is a subject of public discussion and concern and a matter of public interest. Therefore, the channel, after thorough study and research and on the basis of information from official sources, telecast a news series regarding the drug menace in the state. In July 2022, the petitioner channel published an interview with a victim of drug abuse. The interview was on the basis of reliable information about a POCSO chargesheet. A follow-up of the story was published in November 2022, using file shots without disclosing the identity of the victim with utmost care and caution to protect the victim”. It said pursuant to the follow-up story, the FIR was registered on the basis of a complaint by Anwar, alleging that the accused persons with an object to tarnish the image of the Kerala government hatched a conspiracy and telecast roving reporter under the caption “Narcotics is a dirty business”.
