New Delhi/IBNS/UNI: The Supreme Court in its interim order on Wednesday protected three senior journalists from arrest till September 11, who gave a fact-finding report on behalf of Editors' Guild of India (EGI) on 'biased' reporting by local journalists on the brutal ethnic clash related issues in Manipur.

The bench of the apex court, led by the Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dr Dhananjaya Yeshwant Chandrachud also sought Manipur state's response in the petition filed by the EGI and three journalists over FIRs against them for abetting communal tension in Manipur.

While granting interim relief to three journalists, the bench fixed the matter for further hearing to next Monday.

The plea was mentioned by senior lawyer, Shyam Divan, appearing for the EGI, and urged the apex court to hear the matter urgently as the senior journalists involved in the case were apprehending arrest.

Divan said that they are seeking emergent directions under Article 32.

The EGI appointed a fact-finding committee with the three senior journalists who made a report and concluded that local news reports were biased. Following the report, the two FIRs were registered by the police against them.

"We are seeking protection from arrest and quashing of FIRs," Divan said.

The matter was mentioned before a bench of CJI DY Chandrachud, Justice JB Pardiwala, and Justice Manoj Misra.

The bench asked the petitioners to keep the papers ready on the matter so that it could be heard later during the day.