Supreme Court Grants Relief to Psephologist Amid FIR Controversy

The Supreme Court provided protection from arrest for psephologist Sanjay Kumar, involved in FIRs by the Election Commission for allegedly spreading misinformation on Maharashtra's electoral rolls. The FIRs persist despite Kumar's apology and deletion of posts. His appeal claims misuse of law and lack of criminal intent.

The Supreme Court on Monday extended protection from arrest to Sanjay Kumar, a psephologist facing two FIRs based on allegations from the Election Commission of India. These accusations revolve around Kumar's purported spread of misinformation concerning Maharashtra's electoral rolls through posts made on social media platform X.

The bench led by Chief Justice B R Gavai acknowledged the arguments presented by senior advocate Vivek Tankha and advocate Sumeer Sodhi. They emphasized that the FIRs were registered against Kumar despite his deletion of the disputed posts and a public apology. The court noted, 'He deleted and apologised immediately. Even then two FIRs have been lodged.'

The plea from Kumar argues the FIRs reflect a misuse of the law intended to harass rather than address any wrongdoing, as errors arose from a misinterpretation of data by an associate. The Supreme Court has ordered no coercive action during this period, as Kumar seeks to quash these FIRs and prevent future entries related to the incident.

(With inputs from agencies.)