Ranchi, April 23: Jharkhand High Court has granted bail to a journalist who was booked under Prevention of Terrorism Act and arrested during an “encounter” with extremists in Bishrampur in Palamau last year.

The accused, Nagendra Sharma, a reporter at a Hindi daily, was picked up by the Vishrampur police for his alleged connections with the People’s War.

An FIR was filed by the informant who is the officer-in-charge of the Vishrampur police station. Petitioner’s counsels Bimal Kumar and Nand Lal Tiwary pleaded before the court that the police have levelled false accusations against him. The accused has been publishing the “misdeeds” of the local police. The police have framed charges to avenge itself, the counsels said.

According to the FIR the police got a tip-off that some PW extremists were going to assemble near Gobarletwa Pahar. The police had information that People’s War zonal commander Dadhichi Rai was to meet some members of the group there.