The Supreme Court has granted interim protection from arrest to Sagar-based RTI activist and whistleblower Satyendra Kumar Jain, who has been accused in a case of abetment to suicide and extortion under the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita and the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The order was passed by a Bench comprising Justices M.M. Sundresh and S.C. Sharma, which directed that the petitioner shall not be arrested, provided he cooperates with the investigation.
The Activist, known for exposing large-scale corruption within the Sagar Municipal Corporation through his RTI applications, had sought anticipatory bail after the High Court of Madhya Pradesh rejected his plea citing the statutory bar under Section 18 of the SC/ST Act. His counsel, Advocate Siddharth R. Gupta, argued before the court that the FIR was a retaliatory measure orchestrated by senior municipal officials against whom Jain had previously filed corruption complaints before the Lokayukta and Economic Offences Wing (EOW).
The activist was accused following the suicide of an auditor who allegedly faced extortion demands. However, Mr Gupta, counsel of the activist contended that no communication or evidence linked him to the alleged abetment. After hearing the submissions, the Court granted interim protection from arrest to the activist, whilst requiring the State Government to file a reply issuing notices to the police department and the complainant.
Appearances:
Mr. Siddharth R. Gupta, Adv. Mr. Dhanya Kumar Jain, Adv. Mr. Vipul Jain, Adv. Mr. Yogesh Soni, Adv. Mr. Mrigank Prabhakar, AOR Mr. Aman Agarwal, Adv. Mr. Uddaish Palya, Adv. Ms. Surbhi Saxena, Adv. Mr. Siddharth Sahu, Adv. Ms. Astha Singh, Adv.
