Calcutta High Court grants bail to Republic TV journalist arrested while reporting from Sandeshkhali

The Calcutta High Court on Thursday granted bail to Republic TV journalist Santu Pan who was arrested while reporting live from the Sandeshkhali area in West Bengal. .A bench of Justice Kausik Chanda also stayed the criminal proceedings against Pan..Pan's arrest on February 19 evening stemmed from a first information report (FIR) lodged by a woman resident in Sandeshkhali, who reportedly alleged that the reporter had barged into her house while she was not properly dressed and started taking videos. The case filed against Pan accused him of outraging her modesty.Pan has denied the allegations and was reported to have been heard saying that he was being arrested for exposing the truth about the violence in Sandeshkhali..The arrest unfolded on live television, capturing the moment when Pan was removed from the Sandeshkhali ghat.Subsequently, on February 20, a local court remanded Pan to three days of police custody. Aggrieved by the registration of the FIR and the continuation of criminal proceedings against him, Pan approached the High Court for relief. .The journalist's petition argued that he was never informed of the grounds of his arrest, despite requests. Instead, he alleged that he was made to sign certain papers after being taken to the police station."He later figured out that police in order to cover its lacuna and save itself from the consequences of the colorable exercises of powers had ensured that a false and frivolous first information report was registered against the petitioner," the plea stated.After hearing submissions today, the High Court allowed his release on bail and stayed the criminal proceedings against him. An order copy is awaited. The petitioner was represented by Senior Advocates Mahesh Jethmalani and Sandeepan Ganguly and advocates Saket Shukla, Ravi Sharma, Zoeb Cutlerywala, Siya Chaudhary, Apalak Basu, Smita and Rahul Tyagi, .On a related note, the Calcutta High Court recently took suo motu cognisance of reports that women in Sandeshkhali village were subjected to sexual assault "at gunpoint" and that tribal lands were being forcibly taken away from villagers.As per reports, at least three Trinamool Congress Party (TMC) leaders, Sheikh Shajahan, Shiba Prasad Hazra and Uttam Sardar are alleged to have been involved in the land grabbing activities and the torture of villagers in Sandeshkhali.The High Court had later described Sheikh as the “sole cause” of the unrest in Sandeshkhali, while grilling the State on why they have not yet made his arrest. .[Read Order]