Manipur journalist detained under NSA for 'cow dung' Facebook post released after HC order

Manipur journalist Kishorechandra Wangkhen, charged under the National Security Act (NSA) in May by the BJP-led government for his alleged post on Facebook that cow dung doesn't cure Covid-19 was released from jail on Friday after an order passed by the Manipur High Court.

Kishorechandra's wife, Elangbam Ranjita moved the High Court on Thursday seeking it's intervention for his release.

The order comes four days after the Supreme Court ordered immediate release of Erendro Leichombam, a political activist based in Imphal, who was also arrested along with Kishorechandra on May 13. Both had sarcastically posted on social media platform Facebook that cow dung and cow urine did not cure Covid-19 after state BJP president S Tikendra Singh died due to a Covid-19 infection.

Read | Cannot be in jail overnight for this: SC orders immediate bail to Manipur activist for Facebook post on cow dung

Both were granted bail by the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Imphal West on May 17, but the state government held them back after charging them under the NSA. They were lodged in the Sajiwa Jail in Imphal.

The court of Chief Justice Sanjoy Kumar and justice KH Nobin Singh said, "On the face of it, we find no distinction or difference between the case of the petitioner's husband and that of Erendro Leichombam. Both of them put up similar Facebook posts, critical of the utility of cow dung and cow urine in treating coronavirus. As they stand identically situated, we are of the opinion that the continued incarceration of the petitioner's husband would be as much a violation of Article 21 of the Constitution, as it was in the case of Erendro Leichombam."

The high court passed an interim order for Kishorechandra's release from jail by 5 pm on Friday (July 23) on furnishing a personal release bond of a sum of Rs 1,000.

The court said the Manipur government’s May 17 order revoking NSA on him “stands suspended” till the next date of hearing on August 24.

“Though this Court would normally order notice in a petition for a writ of Habeas Corpus, in the first instance, making it returnable within 48 hours, and thereafter take up the matter on the fourth working day after issuance of such notice, in terms of Rule II of the High Court of Manipur Case Management Rules, 2019, we find no reason to abide by such procedure in the case on hand as it is squarely covered by the observations made by the Supreme Court in the case of an identically situated person," the high court order said.

"We are very happy at such a quick order by the high court," Kishorechandra's wife Ranjita told DH after the court's order. "This judgment again proves that no one is above the law," she said.

Kishorechandra, an anchor with a local news channel was similarly booked under the NSA and arrested back in April 2018 for a Facebook post critical of CM N. Biren Singh. He was, however, released from jail in April 2019 after the Manipur High Court passed an order.