SC pulls up Jharkhand govt over journalist’s midnight arrest

The Supreme Court Monday slammed the Jharkhand government for arresting a journalist working with a Hindi TV channel from his house in the middle of the night earlier this year and told its counsel in no uncertain terms, “you are not dealing with a terrorist, but a journalist”.

“This is not the way to treat the media or a journalist. This is thorough lawlessness in the state,” a bench presided by Justice D Y Chandrachud said, refusing to entertain the government’s appeal challenging the HC’s July 19 order granting bail to journalist Arup Chatterjee.