NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Tuesday refused to stay the investigation against a female journalist for allegedly making casteist remarks and publicly humiliating a police officer during a protest near Jantar Mantar earlier this month.
Justice Mini Pushkarna issued notice to the Delhi Police and Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Vivek Bhagat, the complainant in the case against the scribe, saying the court was not rejecting the interim prayer at this stage, nor was it passing any order on it.
The judge directed Bhagat to file his reply to the journalist's petition, seeking quashing of the FIR, before November 16, when the court will further hear the matter.
"I am not rejecting any prayer as of now. I am only issuing notice to them. The matter needs consideration; list for final hearing on November 16," the judge said.
The journalist’s counsel submitted before the court that she had filed a sexual assault complaint against Bhagat, which is currently being investigated by the Delhi Police Crime Branch.
“The FIR filed by the ACP was lodged only to intimidate her into not pursuing the complaint against him,” the counsel claimed.
Delhi Police registered the FIR against the independent journalist and others on a complaint by Bhagat, currently posted at the Connaught Place sub-division of New Delhi district, alleging casteist remarks, public humiliation, and defamation directed at the officer by the scribe during the protest.
The FIR was registered under relevant provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and sections 221 (obstructing a public servant from discharging duty), 356(2) (defamation) and 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
The complainant alleged that Bhagat groped and pushed her near Jantar Mantar on October 3, 2026, while she was recording the police detaining an activist during demonstrations demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.
Following the incident, the journalists spent several hours at the Parliament Street Police Station demanding the registration of an FIR. The Delhi Police transferred the complaints to the Crime Branch to conduct a preliminary inquiry.