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Tamil journalist Nakkeeran Gopal released hours after arrest

He was produced before the 13th Egmore Metropolitan Magistrate Gopinath, who refused to grant his remand and questioned the validity of the IPC section.

Nakeeran
 
RR Gopal, a veteran journalist of Nakkeeran magazine was released by a local court hours after his arrest. He was produced before the 13th Egmore Metropolitan Magistrate Gopinath, who refused to grant his remand and questioned the validity of the IPC section.
 
“According to the FIR filed by Chennai Police, 35 Nakkeeran workers have been booked under Section 124 IPC, including editor in-charge Kovai Lenin, chief deputy editor Aaraavayal, 14 reporters and 10 administrative staff. Gopal was taken for a medical check-up, before being produced before the magistrate,” reported Indian Express.
 
“During the hearing, the court also allowed senior journalist N Ram to speak on behalf of the media, along with Gopal’s lawyers. His counsel argued that Section 124 was invalid in the case, and said the arrest set a bad precedent as it dragged the Governor’s office into an ugly controversy,” the report said.
 
Outside the court, Gopal defended the magazine’s report and vowed to continue with the probe. He accused the government of curtailing the freedom of the press.
 
“This release is a great hope for freedom of expression and freedom of the press. Nakkeeran’s work will continue,” said Gopal in the report, who hit the headlines in the 1990s when he did a series of interviews with forest brigand Veerappan, and later acted as his mediator.
 
Gopal was arrested early Tuesday Morning at Chennai Airport due to a complaint from Governor Banwarilal Purohit’s office. The police are reportedly filling a defamation or sedition case against him.
 
He was arrested for publishing an article against TN governor Purohit which involved a ‘sex scandal’ where an assistant professor was reportedly ‘luring and supplying’ young girls to senior officials in another university.

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