The Madras Reporters Guild has denounced the detention of journalist, author, and publisher Badri Seshadri and his imprisonment for reportedly making negative remarks about the unrest in Manipur.
The Guild, also known as Chennai Nirubargal Sangam, demanded that Seshadri be promptly released from custody, claiming that there was no justification for Seshadri’s imprisonment notwithstanding how offensive or even disparaging his remarks may have been.
Instead of resorting to arrest, which interferes with the right to free speech and expression and civil rights, the government has the option to bring a lawsuit against the author and let the legal system take its course.
If necessary, the courts will take whatever action they judge appropriate in cases of contempt of court. The Guild stated that it was concerned about governments’ strategies to ‘straightaway arrest persons for comments in the mainstream media and social media,’ rather than pursue legal action. These governments included both BJP and non-BJP governments.
‘The previous AIADMK government had filed a large number of defamation cases and also arrested press persons. We request Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, M K Stalin, to not follow this example,’ Guild President R Rangaraj and Secretary D Sekar said in a statement on July 29.
The Guild denounced Seshadri’s arrest and detention in police custody until August 11.
The group of journalists begged Stalin to help with Seshadri’s prompt release and to provide the police department the required directions so that they won’t detain anyone for making statements about current events that are in the public domain.
‘Arrest should be the last resort and only on the basis of final court judgements after the due legal process has been followed.’
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