The Punjab and Haryana High Court has quashed a Gurugram trial court order that had cancelled bail and issued a Non-Bailable Warrant (NBW) against TV News Anchor and Journalist Mohammad Sohail (associated with Republic Bharat) in connection with a 2013 POCSO case. The NBW was issued for his non-appearance in court on a single occasion.
Justice Nidhi Gupta directed Sohail to surrender before the trial court or duty magistrate by December 12, 2024, and apply for regular bail. The High Court further instructed the trial court to consider his bail application the same day and accept fresh bail/surety bonds furnished by him, subject to its satisfaction.
The NBW was issued after Sohail sought exemption from personal appearance, citing his travel to Kanpur for election-related duties, which made it impossible for him to return the same day. The Gurugram court rejected his plea and issued the warrant.
Before the High Court, Sohail’s counsel argued that he had consistently attended all court hearings and that the issuance of the NBW for his absence due to unavoidable travel was unwarranted. The counsel requested that the impugned order be set aside and that Sohail be permitted to surrender before the trial court.
The complainant’s counsel opposed the petition but acknowledged Sohail’s regular attendance at court hearings.
Considering these facts, the High Court set aside the NBW and granted Sohail the opportunity to surrender and apply for bail.
Notably, the case involves eight media professionals, including Sohail, who face charges under the POCSO Act and various provisions of the IPC and IT Act. Other accused include Ajit Anjum, Sunil Dutt (News24), Deepak Chaurasia, Chitra Tripathi, Rashid Hashmi, Lalit Singh Badgurjar, and Abhinav Raj (India News).
The charges allege that the accused conspired to create and broadcast a forged video of a 10-year-old minor girl and her family, portraying them in an indecent manner, thereby harming their reputation. The accused are also charged with forging and editing the video, intending to harm the victim’s reputation, and telecasting the same on news channels, representing the minor in an indecent and obscene way.
