Republic Day violence: SC stays arrest of Shashi Tharoor, Rajdeep Sardesai, over multiple FIRs

New Delhi, Feb 09: Supreme Court on Tuesday stayed arrest of Congress leader Shashi Tharoor and senior journalists, while hearing the petition challenging registration of multiple FIRs against them for allegedly sharing certain unconfirmed news on death of a protester, during the tractor rally on Republic Day.

Charges of sedition, criminal intimidation, promoting enmity, provocation to break public peace, criminal conspiracy, outraging religious feelings, among others, have been invoked in the FIRs lodged at Gurgaon, Bengaluru and in different districts of Madhya Pradesh.

On January 30, Delhi Police had filed a case against Tharoor, Sardesai, The Caravan and others.

Earlier, Tharoor and six journalists were booked by the Noida Police for sedition, among other charges, over the violence during the farmers'' tractor rally in Delhi, officials had said.

Madhya Pradesh police has also filed a case against Tharoor and the six journalists over their alleged ''''misleading'''' tweets on the violence during the farmers'' tractor rally in Delhi.

On January 26, thousands of protesting farmers had clashed with the police during the tractor rally called by farmer unions to highlight their demand for repeal of the Centre''s three farm laws.