The additional sessions court, Kolhapur on Wednesday (March 12, 2025) gave a temporary relief to former journalist Prashant Koratkar, saying he need not be physically present at the court and hence the application by the State government to produce him physically at the court had been rejected. The court will hear the final bail application of Mr. Koratkar on March 17.
Mr. Koratkar is accused of allegedly threatening Kolhapur-based historian Indrajeet Sawant and making derogatory comments against Chhatrapati Shivaji and Sambhaji. He has been booked based on an audio conversation with Mr. Sawant in which his statements were aimed at causing enmity between communities. The Juna Rajwada police station in Kolhapur registered a case against the Nagpur resident under the relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) for promoting hatred or enmity between groups.
After the case was registered, the journalist moved the Kolhapur sessions court and sought anticipatory bail. On March 1, Kolhapur additional sessions judge D.V. Kashyap granted Mr. Koratkar interim protection from arrest on the condition that he has to appear before the police and surrender his mobile phone with the SIM card that was used to make the call. The court had listed the matter for further hearing on March 11.
The State government challenged the bail order and said the journalist was not cooperating with the investigation. The State government on Tuesday filed an application at the sessions court demanding the presence of Mr. Koratkar in the court during the hearing.
Advocates Saurabh Ghag and Sidhant Raul for Mr. Koratkar argued that Mr. Koratkar can only join the hearing virtually because of security reasons.
Advocate Asim Sarode, representing historian Mr. Sawant, also demanded that Mr. Koratkar ceased his right to demand interim bail as he had not followed any of the conditions imposed by the sessions court while granting interim protection and he had destroyed evidence in the mobile phone.
Published – March 12, 2025 10:02 pm IST
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