Chhattisgarh web journo held for spreading baseless news against officials

A news portal journalist has been arrested for allegedly circulating baseless and misleading news against judicial and government officers in Chhattisgarh's capital Raipur, police said on Monday.

Raipur-based Nilesh Sharma, editor of the India Writers portal, was apprehended by a team of the Bilaspur district police in Raipur on Sunday and brought here, a senior police official said. Shama was arrested in a case lodged last month under sections 504 (Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) and 505(1)(b) (Whoever makes, publishes or circulates any statement, rumour or report with intent to cause fear or alarm in the public) of the IPC based on a complaint of a lawyer, he said. The lawyer had complained over a news article published in a news portal - NewsTodayCG.com - against judicial, government and administration officials claiming it to be "baseless and misleading", he said. Acting on the complaint, the Bilaspur police along with their Raipur counterparts had apprehended Sunil Namdeo, the operator of NewsTodayCG.com, from the Mana area of the state capital on June 1 after a raid.

 

During the raid, the police had also seized a contraband drug from the possession of Namdeo following which the Raipur police had registered a case under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act against him, he said. The investigation into the case related to the news article revealed Sharma and Namdeo connived in publishing the controversial article following which the former was arrested, he said. Sharma was arrested last year by the Raipur police in a different case of allegedly spreading malicious information about the ruling Congress in the state.