On Thursday, 8th December 2022, Trinamool Congress Party’s leader Saket Gokhale was granted regular bail by a Gujarat Magistrate Court. The former ‘RTI activist’ was arrested by the Gujarat police over his tweet spreading fake news about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Morbi visit. Earlier, on Tuesday (December 7), an Ahmedabad court had remanded Trinamool Congress (TMC) spokesperson Saket Gokhale to two-day police custody.
TMC spokesperson Saket Gokhale granted regular bail by a Gujarat Magistrate Court today.
— Bar & Bench (@barandbench) December 8, 2022
Gokhale was arrested after a complaint against his tweets related to the Morbi Bridge Collapse. @SaketGokhale #MorbiBridgeCollapse pic.twitter.com/U5YJM2s9Sr
TMC leader and MP Derek O’Brien tweeted and shared this information. He wrote, “National spokesperson of Trinamool Congress Party, the fearless Saket Gokhale has been granted bail mins ago in Ahmedabad. Thank you to the legal team led by Advocate Majeed Memon ex-Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament. Inspired by Mamata Banerjee, all of us are always ready to fight the good fight.”
National spokesperson of @AITCofficial the fearless @SaketGokhale has been granted bail mins ago in Ahmedabad. Thank you to the legal team lead by @advmajeedmemon ex-Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament. Inspired by @MamataOfficial all of us are always ready to fight the good fight
— Derek O’Brien | ডেরেক ও’ব্রায়েন (@derekobrienmp) December 8, 2022
Gokhale was apprehended in the early hours of Tuesday morning in Jaipur, Rajasthan, by officials from the Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Cell and brought to Ahmedabad in the afternoon, where he was formally arrested.
Notably, Gokhale had shared a fabricated news report about an RTI query and its response that does not exist. He had claimed that ₹30 crore was spent on PM Modi’s Morbi visit, sharing a news clipping from an unnamed Gujarati newspaper, which was claimed to be Gujarat Samachar. But the government has said that it is fabricated and no such report was published and there is no such RTI reply. Moreover, Gujarat Samachar also clarified that they have not published such a report.
While Saket Gokhale was arrested for posting fake news and he has been granted bail as per regular legal procedure, TMC is trying to make a hero out of him. The party is firmly standing behind him, with Derek O’Brien calling him ‘fearless’. However, as Derek O’Brien himself regularly post fake news on social media, it is no wonder that he thinks this is a legitimate tool in politics.
Update: Later in the day, Saket Gokhale was reportedly arrested by Morbi Police immediately after he was released by Ahmedabad police as per the bail order. Another case was registered against him for the fake tweet in Morbi, and accordingly, Morbi police detained him.
SHOCKER #Break
— Derek O'Brien | ডেরেক ও'ব্রায়েন (@derekobrienmp) December 8, 2022
@SaketGokhale @AITCofficial being harassed by Gujarat Police even after getting bail. ARRESTED AGAIN 8.45pm Dec 8. While he was leaving Cyber PS in Ahmedabad, Police team without notice/warrant are arresting him and taking him to unknown destination. CONDEMNABLE
Derek O’Brien tweeted to confirm the development, calling it a shocker. He said that Saket was arrested again at 8.45 PM by police after he had come out of the Cyber Police Station in Ahmedabad. He alleged that police arrested him without any warrant and took him to an unknown destination.
The MP also informed that a delegation of TMC MPs from Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha will visit Gujarat to rescue Saket Gokhale.
#TMC National Spokesperson #SaketGokhale re-arrested in another Morbi- linked case hours after being granted bail. pic.twitter.com/wBbofdqhkP
— Sreyashi Dey (@SreyashiDey) December 8, 2022
A video also has emerged showing Saket arguing with police at the police station premises, reportedly moments before he was arrested.
