By TCN News,
Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala government has decided to express its stand on the case charged in Karnataka against Malayali journalist Shahina. State Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan informed the Kerala Assembly yesterday that the government would inform the Karnataka government its stand on the case.
The Minister said that the state would intervene to protect the rights of ‘Tehelka’ Kerala correspondent Shahina as a journalist. The state opinion would be conveyed as per the acknowledgement of the Assembly.
Karnataka police had charged a case against KK Shahina, Kerala correspondent of the ‘Tehelka’ magazine, late last year alleging her of intimidating the witnesses in the 2008 Bengaluru blast case. In November 2010, Shahina had interviewed some of the witnesses in the case in Karnataka who reportedly spoke to her against the police version in the case. One of the witnesses told her that he was forced to give a false confession and the other was not even aware he was a witness in the case, according to the report published in ‘Tehelka’. The Karnataka police then charged a case against Shahina, accusing her of intimidating the witnesses.
The police version had it that the witnesses had met PDP chairman Abdunnasir Maudany at the Lakkeri estate in Kodagu where he was involved in a conspiracy for the Bengaluru blasts. Maudany, a Keralite, is 31st accused in the case. However, Shahina’s report totally disarmed the police version.
Shahina was denied anticipatory bail plea by the Madikkeri Sessions Court on January 7, which prompted her to file a petition in the Karnataka High Court on January 12. Meanwhile, the police had reportedly visited Shahina’s house in Kerala twice in January and left notices for her to appear for questioning, which raise concerns that she might be detained any time.