A Gurugram Court issued arrest warrant against news-anchor Deepak Chaurasia for airing inappropriate videos of a minor and her family in the sexual assault case against Asaram Bapu

The Gurugram Court has again taken action against journalist and news-anchor Deepak Chaurasia, issuing an arrest warrant due to allegations of airing inappropriate and altered videos of a minor and her family in relation to the sexual assault case against Asaram Bapu. The warrant was issued by Additional Sessions Judge, Shashi Chauhan, after Chaurasia requested to not appear in court for the hearing due to a previously scheduled interview with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

The court noted that Chaurasia's request for non-appearance did not include any affidavit or documentary evidence to support his absence. The judge heard arguments from Chaurasia's counsel, who claimed that the journalist was unable to attend the hearing due to a previously scheduled professional obligation to interview the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Yogi Adityanath. The council presented a copy of the email from the Chief Minister's office confirming the scheduled interview.

The court, however, did not accept this argument and rejected the evidence presented by Chaurasia's counsel, stating that the email was not addressed to Chaurasia but to another person and that it was not appropriate to include a confidential document such as the email as evidence in court. The prosecution argued that Chaurasia was deliberately absent from the hearing with the intention of delaying proceedings.

Given these circumstances, the court issued an arrest warrant against Chaurasia, taking into consideration that he had previously sought personal exemption from appearing in court

The case was initiated pursuant to an FIR that was registered in December 2013 based on a complaint from a relative of the child who was featured in the video. The news channels News24, India News, and News Nation are facing charges for airing the video, which is alleged to have partially shown the faces of the child, her mother, and other women. The case includes eight individuals, including former News 24 managing editor Ajit Anjum, anchor Chitra Tripathi, and Chaurasiya.

It is worth noting that Chaurasia had previously sought an exemption from appearing in court on October 28, claiming he had to be rushed to the hospital due to low blood sugar levels. However, he did not provide any medical certificate or affidavit to support his claim. The court expressed its dissatisfaction with Chaurasia's absence on that occasion.

In a similar application on September 23, Judge Chauhan noted that it appeared that Chaurasia was intentionally avoiding appearing in court.