The Karnataka High Court has restrained Uttar Pradesh police from taking coercive action against Twitter India MD Manish Maheshwari in connection with a probe related to the Loni assault video. The single bench of Justice G Narender said Maheshwari does not have to travel at this time as police can examine him through virtual mode.
“If the police desire to examine the petitioner (Manish Maheshwari), they may do so through virtual mode,” the court said.
“If the matter requires consideration, we list it on June 29.In the meanwhile restraining the respondents from initiating any coercive action against the petitioner,” the court maintained.\
Ghaziabad Police had issued him a notice in connection with the case where a Muslim man was thrashed by a group of men and his beard was chopped off in Loni. In its notice the UP police had accused Twitter of failing to remove certain “objectionable” tweets, and Mr Maheshwari of intent to riot, promoting enmity and criminal conspiracy charges.
Appearing on behalf of Maheshwari, advocate C V Nagesh said that Maheshwari was merely an employee of the organisation and ‘had nothing to do with the offence’. Subsequently a notice under section 161 of the CrPC was issued to Maheshwari by email and responding to it, he said he would be ready to appear virtually.
Soon the police issued a notice under section 41(A) asking him to appear in person within 24 hours to travel from Bengaluru to Ghaziabad, which was not possible for Maheshwhari, Nagesh told the court.
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Maheshwari objected to the summons saying he was being faulted for not responding to the first summons even though he had offered to join on virtual mode.
Maheshwari’s counsel said that the petitioner is an employee of Twitter Communication India Private Limited handling marketing and sales and not a member of board of directors to be responsible for uploading of the alleged video based on which the FIR was registered.
