A special POCSO court in Gurugram has directed the arrest of former News Nation anchor Deepak Chaurasia under a non-bailable warrant, before November 21 irked over his repeated absence from the hearings.
The court expressing its displeasure over the absence of the anchor said that although Chaurasia had sought exemption, owing to poor health, no proof of the same had been submitted to the court. It stated that the accused was “intentionally avoiding his presence before the court,” for the second time.
“The bail of the applicant-accused is cancelled. His bail bond and surety bond are cancelled…Warrant of arrest against accused Deepak Chaurasia be issued for November 21…notice to his surety under section 446 of the CrPC and his identifier be also issued for the date fixed,” the court ordered.
Chaurasia has been booked under the Protection Of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) pertaining to a case of 2013.
News channels, News24, India News and News Nation have been accused of airing “morphed, edited and obscene” videos of a 10-year-old and her family, linking it to a sexual assault case against self-styled Godman Asaram Bapu, based on a complaint filed by a relative of the child.
Former News24 managing editor Ajit Anjum, Aaj Tak anchor Chitra Tripathi, and former News Nation anchor Deepak Chaurasia were charge-sheeted alongside eight others in 2020 and 2021 for airing the videos.
Earlier, bailable warrants were issued against three investigating officers, ACP Surender, inspector Jitender and inspector Sanjay, after the court reportedly found deficiencies and shortcomings in the supplementary chargesheet and electronic and documentary evidence.
