Manipuri journalist released from jail

The jailed Manipur-based journalist Kishorchandra Wangkhem finally got relief on Monday as the High Court of Manipur on Monday quashed his detention order under the National Security Act and ordered his immediate release.

Mr Wangkhem was arrested for allegedly criticizing the BJP, RSS, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh. He was arrested on sedition charges and sent to jail for 12 months as  NSA was slapped on him.

This triggered a massive outcry all over the country, asking for his release. A division bench of Justice Lanusungkum Jamir and Justice Kh Nobin set aside all the orders, including the detention order passed by the district magistrate, Imphal West, on grounds that authorities did not provide the journalist the copies of Facebook posts and video clips uploaded by him.

"We, therefore, have no option but to infer that the compact disc containing the four videos clips were not supplied to the petitioner. We have, therefore, no hesitation to come to the conclusion that non-furnishing of the pictures with copies alleged to have posted by the petitioner on his Facebook wall on August 7, 2018, and the compact disc containing four video clips to the petitioner vitiates the very detention order," the court observed.