AGARTALA, Dec 4 (TIWN): Two journalists Samridhi Sakunia and Swarna Jha of HQ News Network filed a petition in the Supreme Court with an urgent hearing plea.

The Court on Friday accepted the request made by Advocate Sandeep S Deshmukh for urgent listing of the petition.

A bench led by Justice DY Chandrachud will consider the matter on December 8, 2021.

The petitioners argued that such extreme steps by the Police are "targeted harassment of the press".

"If the State is allowed to criminalize the very act of fact-finding and unbiased reporting then the only facts that will come in the public domain are those that are convenient to the State due to the 'chilling effect on the freedom of speech and expression of members of civil society. If the quest for truth and reporting thereof itself has criminalized then the victim in the process is the idea of justice", the petitioners submit.

The petitioners have sought reliefs these issues: 1) Quashing FIR registered at Tripura under sections 120B, 153A, 504 of IPC qua petitioners, 2) Quashing FIR 82 under sections 153A, 153B, 193, 204, 120B, 504 IPC, 3) Alternatively seeking transfer of FIRs to the competent court in Delhi as there is an apparent risk and threat to the life of petitioners in Tripura.