AMBALA: The Ambala district court on Saturday granted bail to Hindi daily journalist Sunil Brar who was arrested by the police allegedly under charges of promoting enmity between classes by reporting and publishing 'the wrong location in the newspaper of arrest of a suspected terrorist'.
The Ambala police had sought judicial remand of journalist Sunil but the same was rejected by the court.
The court granted bail to Sunil at a bond of Rs 30,000 and one surety.
The court of duty judicial magistrate first class (JMIC) Mukesh Kumar while granting bails to Sunil viewed after the perusal of remand paper and the copy of newspaper produced by investigating officer that, "there was nothing sort of which can create enmity between classes. Prosecution has not denied the fact that some terrorist was arrested from the Territory of Ambala district by Punjab Police. Further, there is no need of accused for further investigation as custodial interrogation has been completed."
Along with Sunil, the police had also booked his office in-charge journalist Sandeep Sharma in the same case.
The case relates to a report carried in in newspaper about arrest of a suspected terrorist from Ambala district by Punjab police, allegedly involved in the IED tiffin bomb case of Punjab.
The newspaper also rectified the news on the next day in a publication dated September 17, by publishing the correct location of the arrest of accused Rubal that he was arrested from "Mardon Sahib village of Ambala City area".
Following the arrest of the journalist on Friday, opposition leaders Kumari Selja from Congress and Prakash Bharti from INLD had attacked the BJP-led Haryana government for arresting him without serving notice and picking up Sandeep's 70-year-old father after he was not found in his office.
Congress leader Rohit Jain stood fought as advocate for Sunil in the court and secured his bail on Saturday.
Haryana leader of opposition and former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Saturday tweeted, "When the journalists of the news group clarified the refutation of the printed news, then the government should have decided to take any action only after getting the matter investigated instead of directly arresting the journalist in Ambala. The freedom of the press should be respected."
