Journalist Arrested for Extortion and Defamation Allegations

Police have arrested journalist Tushar Kharat for allegedly making derogatory remarks against Maharashtra minister Jaykumar Gore's aide and attempting to extort Rs 5 crore from the minister. Kharat, editor of a local YouTube channel, faces charges under various acts. Gore claims the allegations are old and settled in 2019.

In a controversial turn of events, police have arrested Tushar Kharat, the editor of YouTube channel Lay Bhari, on charges of extortion and defamation. Kharat allegedly made derogatory remarks against Maharashtra minister Jaykumar Gore's aide, sparking a backlash.

Kharat was detained by Satara police from Mumbai on Sunday, as he stands accused of attempting to extort Rs 5 crore from Gore by raking up a 2016 harassment case. Kharat has also been charged under the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and the Information Technology Act.

Gore, who had previously faced allegations of harassment, claims the charges are politically motivated and the cases were dismissed in court in 2019. Before his arrest, Kharat claimed the accusations were baseless and part of a smear campaign against him.

(With inputs from agencies.)