MITHLESH RAI Vs. STATE OF M P

JUDGEMENT

(1.) This order shall govern the disposal of the aforesaid both the intra-Court writ appeals. The appellants have filed their respective Writ Appeal No. 20 of 2013 and Writ Appeal No. 803 of 2012 being aggrieved by the order dated 17.5.2012 passed by the learned Single Bench in Writ Petition No. 7426 of 2012 whereby their joint petition filed under Article 226/227 of the Constitution of India to issue the appropriate writ for the following reliefs has been dismissed:

(2.) For the convenience the name of the aforesaid appellants, Santan Rai @ Pappu Rai and Mithlesh Rai respectively are hereinafter referred as "the petitioners No. 1 and 2" respectively or "petitioners" as stated in the impugned order.

(3.) The appellants had filed the writ petition with their joint names contending that deceased Chandrika Rai, the brother of petitioner No. 2, the brother-in-law of the petitioner No. 1, was fearless and dynamic journalist of Umaria. He had waged the war against the Coal and Bhoo Mafias of Shahdol and Umaria region, so also against their protectors, the local politicians by publishing the news and articles against them. Due to such reasons, he was subjected to threats for his life, in spite of that he had not left his principles and had continued to publish the news and articles against such Mafias. On his published news, the authorities had intercepted and seized the coal having the worth of Rs. 80,00,000/- when the same was being illegally transported by them. He had also published the news of illegal allotment of mining tender by the authorities, on which the Chief Minister of the State had intervened in the matter and had cancelled such tenders. In this regard, the copies of the newspaper cuttings were annexed with the petition as Annexure P-1.