Guwahati: In a significant development for press freedom in the country, the Supreme Court has put a stop to any coercive action against senior journalists Siddharth Varadarajan and Karan Thapar, along with other media professionals associated with the online portal The Wire.
The order from a bench of Justices Surya Kant and J. B. Pardiwala comes in the wake of an FIR filed against them by the Assam Police. The journalists, represented by senior advocate Nitya Ramakrishnan, had raised concerns that the Assam Police were attempting to bypass earlier judicial directions.
The legal tussle stems from an article published on August 12. The FIR lodged in connection with this report had led to a summons for Varadarajan and other journalists to appear before the police to record their statements. Acknowledging the clear apprehension of arrest, the apex court has directed that no coercive steps be taken against them until the next hearing. The court has also sought a status report from the investigating agency and has asked for the assistance of the Assam government’s counsel in the matter.
This is not the first time the journalists have found themselves in this situation. Earlier this month, the Supreme Court had granted interim protection to Varadarajan and others in a separate case related to another FIR from the Assam Police, which was registered following a complaint over an article concerning Opposition leader Sonia Soodor. The matter will be heard again after the Assam Police submits their report to the court.
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