Journalist Naveen Soorinje, who was granted bail in a case related to the attack on youngsters at a ‘homestay’ in Mangalore in July last year, expressed happiness that his role has been vindicated.
“The High Court judge granted me bail after he was shown videos shot by my cameraman as well as the statements made before him by the complainant. I am informed that the judge questioned the veracity of the accusations made by the police. It’s gratifying that my role has been vindicated,” he told The Hindu.
Mr. Soorinje will be released from the Mangalore sub-jail after the court order reaches the sessions court and the prison authorities.
‘Setback for State’
Muneer Katipalla of the city unit of the Democratic Youth Federation of India, which protested the arrest of Mr. Soorinje, said the decision was a setback to the State government.
“There has been a struggle against moral policing in the district, and Mr. Soorinje’s reportage highlighted it. By filing cases against him, the government has shown its true colours in prosecuting those who have stood up against communalism,” he said.
The DYFI would demand withdrawal of cases against Mr. Soorinje and also seek compensation for the time he spent in jail, he said.
Probe sought
“There should be a reinvestigation to find out if others too had been falsely charged,” Mr. Katipalla said.
Calling the bail order a “relief”, Vidya Dinker, social activist, pointed out that Mr. Soorinje had been “falsely implicated”. “There should be a probe to find out who had implicated him in the case,” she said.
