Two Republic TV journalists, who were arrested for attempting to record visuals of an Iranian naval vessel anchored inside Cochin Port, have approached a Kerala court seeking bail. .The Judicial First Class Magistrate-I court in Ernakulam heard their bail application on Monday and reserved verdict in the matter. .Reporter Sankar CG and cameraman S Mani along with a boat driver were taken into custody in Kochi on Sunday, March 8. The group was detained for capturing visuals of the IRIS Lavan, which arrived at the port a day after the United States sank another Iranian warship off the coast of Sri Lanka amid the ongoing conflict in West Asia. IRS Lavan is currently docked at the port, following a diplomatic arrangement between India and Iran. According to reports, they travelled in a small hired boat to the port area to record visuals of the foreign military vessel from close range.They were picked up by the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) near a restricted high-security zone. Photography and videography are prohibited in the area without official clearance.They were booked under provisions of the Sections 3(1)(a) (spying in prohibited places) and 5 (wrongful communication of information) of the Official Secrets Act as well as Sections 329(3) (criminal trespass) and Section 3(5) (acts committed with common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS)..Before the court, advocate Geo Paul, representing the journalists, submitted that no objectionable footage had been recorded. He also argued that other news organisations have also been reporting on the docking of the ship and, therefore, the charges under the Official Secrets Act would not stand against the two Republic TV journalists. .The Court will pronounce its order on the bail application tomorrow. .The bail application was filed through advocate Luke J Chirayil..Follow Bar and Bench channel on WhatsAppDownload the Bar and Bench Mobile app for instant access to the latest legal news.
