Noida/New Delhi: "I just read the text on the teleprompter," said Zee News anchor Rohit Ranjan, defending his onscreen presentation of a doctored video of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. Ranjan was arrested by the Noida police on a complaint filed by the Zee media group on the video.
Police said Ranjan's claim is part of the statement he recorded with them. The anchor had feigned ignorance about the doctored content that he presented in the video. He maintained that his role on screen was limited only to reading out from the teleprompter during the show.
"I was not involved in the process of packaging the news report. The particular segment which I presented was produced by two coworkers who are in charge of the entire elements and packages including the anchor script for the programme," the anchor was quoted as saying by the police.
"We have recorded the statement of Ranjan. We have identified two persons responsible for processing the news report on the TV channel. We will soon be arresting them," said a senior police official from the Noida police who is privy to the investigation.
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Police said Ranjan had been booked under IPC's section 505 (2) (statements creating or promoting enmity, hatred or ill-will between classes). Based on the doctored video aired by Zee News, Ranjan during the show slammed Rahul Gandhi as having likened the accused in the Rajasthan beheading case to kids and writing off their crime.
Meanwhile, the anchor, who is facing several FIRs in different states for the doctored video, on Thursday again sought an urgent hearing from the Supreme Court on his plea seeking protection from coercive action for the alleged offence, reported PTI.
A vacation bench headed by Justice Indira Banerjee, which had on Wednesday ordered the listing of the plea for hearing on Thursday, said it was awaiting assignment from the chief justice. "It has not been assigned to us. It is awaiting assignment by the chief justice. It may not be assigned to us," said the bench.
Senior advocate Siddharth Luthra, appearing for the news anchor, said the petition was directed to be listed for hearing today, but it has not figured in the list of business and urged that it be assigned to some bench on Friday. "Let us see. The case papers are with the CJI...List the matter tomorrow subject to clearance by the CJI," the bench said.
Also read: Rahul Gandhi Video: Congress initiates legal action against Zee News and its Anchor
On Tuesday, Uttar Pradesh Police stormed into Ranjan's house at around 9 am and whisked him away when Chhattisgarh Police who were waiting since 5.30 am in the morning to arrest the anchor in connection with the doctored video case. Ranjan has been booked for allegedly promoting enmity between different groups and outraging religious feelings of people based on a complaint by Congress MLA Devendra Yadav.
