'Fake' news case: Aaj Tak's Sudhir Chaudhary approaches Karnataka HC against FIR

Journalist Sudhir Chaudhary and Aaj Tak Hindi news channel have approached the Karnataka High Court to quash the FIR registered against him over a news report.

Aaj Tak and its Consulting Editor Chaudhary have been booked by the Karnataka Police under Sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups)and 505 (statements conducing to public mischief) which are non-bailable warrants.

The complaint was filed in Bengaluru by Shivakumar S, Assistant Administrative Officer at the Karnataka Minorities Development Corporation (KMDC).

The Karnataka High Court will hear the plea today (September 15).

Earlier, the Congress government in Karnataka had accused Chaudhary of “deliberately spreading misinformation” on government schemes and termed it “malicious”.

“The anchor of @aajtak is deliberately spreading misinformation on Government schemes which was first started by BJP MPs & is being amplified by sections of media. This is deliberate & malicious, Govt will be taking necessary legal action,” state minister Priyank Kharge had posted on X (formerly Twitter) on September 12.

Replying to Kharge’s post, Chaudhary had said he was “ready for the fight” and “meet” the Karnataka government in court.

On his TV show, Chaudhary had why the Congress government in Karnataka was giving subsidy to only minorities and not Hindus. He had questioned the ‘Swawalambi Sarathi’ scheme by the Karnataka Minorities Development Corporation.

The scheme is for the poor of the Muslim, Christian, Jain, Sikh and Buddhist communities in the state. The beneficiaries of the scheme can get 50 per cent subsidy of up to Rs 3 lakh to buy autos, cabs and goods vehicles.