The Supreme Court on Thursday quashed the criminal case registered against Editor of Shillong Times Patricia Mukhim, in relation to a Facebook post by her decrying violence against non-tribal people in the State.The judgment was delivered by a bench of Justices L Nageswara Rao and Ravindra Bhat on a plea filed by Mukhim, against the Meghalaya High Court's order dismissing her plea to quash criminal proceedings.
The criminal proceedings pertained to a Facebook post published by Mukhim seeking action by the State against an attack on some non-tribal boys in Meghalaya. A case was filed against Mukhim alleging the commission of offences under Sections 153-A, 500 and 505 of the Indian Penal Code.
The plea further stated that the offences under Section 500 and 505(c) IPC, being non-cognizable, cannot be investigated and prosecuted vide registration of an FIR in view of the statutory bar against such prosecution. The petition before the Supreme Court was filed through Advocate-on-Record Prasanna S.