Republic TV has moved the National Human Rights Commission, alleging torture by Mumbai Police on Republic Media Network’s Assistant VP Ghanshyam Singh.
According to Bar and Bench, Republic TV has alleged "spine-chilling ordeal of torture, cruelty, and psychological pressure that was inflicted and exerted" on Ghanshyam Singh.
WHAT IS REPUBLIC TV’S ALLEGATION?
According to a statement shared by Bar and Bench, Republic TV has claimed that Mumbai Police officers “repeatedly tried to coerce him (Singh) to make false statement by saying his organisation would not be able to anything for him.”
Further, it was reportedly alleged by Republic TV, that the officers of the Crime Branch on multiple occasions did not allow Ghanshyam Singh to read his own statements and forced him to sign them.
“This was an utter abuse of power by the police officers, and patently unconstitutional,” said Republic TV, in the statement.
“Ghanshyam’s personal dignity was shred to smithereens as he was paraded like a terrorist with his face covered in a black cloth as he was taken to court and it was justified to him saying that his identity should not be revealed to the media that he had to cover his face for that purpose,” alleged Republic TV. The channel also claimed that Singh’s name or the channel’s name was not even in an FIR.
BACKGROUND
Meanwhile, according to Bar and Bench, ARG Outlier, parent company of Republic TV Network, on Tuesday, 8 December, also moved the Bombay High Court seeking protection of its employees from alleged "malicious witchhunt and abuse of power" by Mumbai Police during the probe in the TRP Scam case.
ARG, in its plea, reportedly alleged among other things that Ghanshyam Singh was tortured in police custody.
Tuesday’s Bombay High Court plea came after the Supreme Court on Monday, 7 December rejected a plea by Republic TV editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami seeking CBI inquiry against senior Maharashtra police officials, and seeking protection for all employees of the Republic TV from coercive action by the state police.
The bench comprising Justices DY Chandrachud and Indira Banerjee remarked that the petition was “ambitious in nature”.
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