Journalist Prashant Kanojia walks out of Lucknow jail
On Tuesday, while hearing Kanojia’s wife Jagisha Arora’s petition for writ of habeas, the Supreme Court ordered immediate release of Prashant Kanojia on bail on condition to the satisfaction of the jurisdictional Chief Judicial Magistrate.
JOURNALIST PRASHANT Kanojia, who was arrested on June 8 for allegedly making “objectionable remarks” against Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on social media, was released from Lucknow district jail on bail Wednesday.
Kanojia was lodged in the jail since his arrest on June 8. An FIR was lodged against him at the Lucknow’s Hazratganj police station.
“Bail application of Prashant Kanojia was moved on Wednesday in the court of Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (Ayodhya Prakaran) Sanjay Kumar along with the Supreme Court order. The court granted bail to Prashant Kanojia and directed him to submit two sureties of Rs 20,000 each and a personal bond of same amount,” said Prashant’s lawyer, A B Solomon.
He added, “After formalities were completed, the court ordered release of Prashant Kanojia.”
Lucknow district jail Superintendent P N Pandey said, “Prashant was released Wednesday following directives from the court.”
On Tuesday, while hearing Kanojia’s wife Jagisha Arora’s petition for writ of habeas, the Supreme Court ordered immediate release of Prashant Kanojia on bail on condition to the satisfaction of the jurisdictional Chief Judicial Magistrate.
The court had termed Kanojia’s arrest “excessive” but made it clear that its order for his release on bail should not be read as approval of his social media posts. The journalist had allegedly shared on Twitter and Facebook a video clip in which a woman is seen speaking to reporters outside the CM’s office in Lucknow.
An FIR was registered against Kanojia at the Hazratganj police station in Lucknow on Friday, alleging that the accused made “objectionable comments against the CM and tried to malign his image”. Kanojia was arrested the next day from his east Delhi home and a Lucknow court remanded him in judicial custody till June 22.
(With PTI inputs)
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