Booked for ‘conspiracy to defame’ SFI leader, Asianet journalist moves Kerala HC against FIR

An Asianet journalist accused of a criminal conspiracy to defame a Students’ Federation of India leader in Kerala has moved the Kerala high court seeking quashing of the FIR against her, according to a LiveLaw report.

Akhila Nandakumar, a chief reporter with Asianet News in Ernakulam, faces an FIR filed under several IPC sections, including 120B (criminal conspiracy), 465 (forgery) and 500 (defamation). The Kerala police booked her and four others earlier this month in a complaint filed by SFI state secretary PM Arsho. 

This was after Akhila reported that Arsho, a master’s student at Maharaja’s College, had purportedly passed his third-semester exams without appearing for them.  

Read all about the case here.

The high court will hear the matter on June 27. The prosecution, meanwhile, told the court that no coercive action will be taken against the journalist until the next hearing, according to LiveLaw.

The Kerala Union of Working Journalists had organised a march on June 12 to protest the FIR against Akhila. The governing CPI-M has stood by Arsho, saying “nobody can escape from a case by claiming to be media”. The SFI is aligned with the CPI-M.