Dainik Jagran’s online editor arrested for running exit polls

The Ghaziabad police arrested Dainik Jagran online editor Shekhar Tripathi and took him to court on Tuesday over publishing exit polls after the first phase of UP elections. Mr. Tripathi was later granted bail

Running exit poll

The arrest came after the Election Commission (EC) on Monday ordered the District Election Officers (DEOs) of 15 districts in Uttar Pradesh to lodge separate criminal cases against the editors of Dainik Jagran newspaper for running an exit poll on the first phase held in the State on February 11.

Section 126A(1) of RP Act prohibits the conduct and publicising of an exit poll by the media for a period specified by the EC. Such an offence is punishable by up to two years in jail or with a fine or both. For the ongoing assembly elections in Punjab, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Goa and Manipur, the EC had banned exit polls from February 4 to March 8. Dainik Jagran, however, released exit poll results on its website after completion of polling in 73 seats. The results were later taken down.

Cognisable offence

Ghaziabad District Magistrate Nidhi Kesarwani told

The Hindu that the EC had asked for 15 separate FIRs against Resource Development International (I) Pvt. Ltd, which conducted the poll, and the editorial head of Dainik Jagran under Section 188 of the IPC, along with Section 126A and 126B of Representation of People (RP) Act, 1951. Offences under the relevant sections are cognisable, which means the police can make an arrest without a warrant or the permission of a court.

Ghaziabad senior superintendent of police Deepak Kumar told The Hindu that Mr. Tripathi was arrested from Kavi Nagar police station area.