IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT MADRAS Dated: 22.04.2025 CORAM:

THE HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE G.K.ILANTHIRAIYAN Crl.O.P.No.25483 of 2023 and Crl.MP.No.17655 of 2023 Parsool Mistra ... Petitioner Through its Editor, (Digital) DainiBhaskar, Head Office, Dwarkasadan, 6 Press Complex, M.P.Nagar, Zone-1, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. ... Petitioner ((Amended as per order dated 08.04.2025 in Crl.MP.No.6951 of 2025 in Crl.OP.No.25483 of 2023)

Vs.

1. State rep.by The Inspector of Police, Avadi CCB Police Station, Avadi City CCB, Chennai.

(Cr.No.11 of 2023)

2. Ravi Kumar, No.20 Thiruninravur IT Wing DMK Kavarapalayam, Thiruninravur, Chennai. ... Respondent PRAYER: Criminal Original Petition is filed under Section 482 of Cr.P.C, to call for the records in Cr.No.11 of 2023 on the file of Inspector of Police, Avadi CCB Police Station, Avadi City CCB, Chennai. and quash the same.

For Petitioner : Mr.B.Kumar Senior Advocate for M/s.S.Ramachandran For Respondents : Mr.R.VinothRaja Government Advocate (Crl.Side)

for R1

O R D E R

This petition has been filed to quash the FIR registered in Cr.No.11 of 2023 on the file of the first respondent police for offences under Sections 153A, 505(1)b and 505(2) of IPC, as against the petitioner.

2. The case of the prosecution is that the defacto complainant namely one Ravi Kumar lodged a complaint before the Inspector of Police, Avadi CCB Police Station, Avadi City CCB, Chennai, in which he has stated that he is residing in the above address and he is the member of IT Wing of DMK Party, that he got an information in the social media platform of Twitter on 05.03.2023 at around 09.20 p.m"https://twitter.com/zoo-bear/status/1632408131354624000?

t=H5pzx25WKup_CYkr_v11Dw&s=19 who retweet the post of http://twitter.com/ Opindia.com / status / 1631746272532238338?s=19, in which spreading such false news has created a sense of fear among the public and the workers who came from Bihar and other States to Tamil Nadu for work and there is a risk of conflict between the local people and people from Bihar. He searched the link in the Twitter posted by Opindia and the contents which read as follows:- "According to Arman, dead bodies of migrant labourers have returned to Jamui, Nawada and Lakshirai Districts in Bihar from Tamil Nadu. Biharis are fleeing Tamil Nadu on pretext or the other which is why it is becoming difficult to even get train tickets said Arman. Arman went on to say that a friend of his was attacked and four of his fingers were severed in front of him because he spoke Hindi. Further, he alleged that 12 workers were hung to death in one room, raising the total number of Hindi speaking workers murdered. One Shravan Kumar who is another Bihari labourer worked in Tamil Nadu and returned home two days ago, claimed the situation in the State is exceedingly dangerous with Bihari migrant labourers being targeted and cruelly murdered in the State. Local wants us to return to Bihar accusing us of snatching their employment, they are stabbing us wherever they see us and our employers and local officials are of no help. We were terrified Shravan Kumar lamented. The situation of the Hindi speaking labourers in Tamil Nadu is quite dismal. Rohith Kumar, a resident of Sikandara Village who returned from Tiruppur today stated. They intend to drive away all Hindi speaking people from the State. 14 persons have been killed so far .

3. When none of the events mentioned in the above news took place in "Tamil Nadu and the people are very calm such false news has been spread". Apart from this Opindia.com website has published a report quoting that Hindi daily one Dainik Baskar has published a report stating that several migrant laborers originally from Jamuai District in Bihar working in Tamil Nadu have confirmed these attacks. They have alleged that as many as 15 people have lost their lives in the "Taliban" style attacks being carried out against the Hindi speaking migrant labourers in the State. As a result, terror has gripped these migran