New Delhi, Aug. 25 -- The Supreme Court on Tuesday restrained the Uttar Pradesh Police from taking coercive action against journalist Abhishek Upadhyay, who had reported alleged irregularities in the handling of donations at Ayodhya's Ram temple and challenged an FIR filed against him in a road rage case.
A bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and comprising Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana issued notice to the Uttar Pradesh government and directed that a copy of the FIR registered at Indirapuram in Ghaziabad be supplied to Upadhyay. It also sought a compliance affidavit from the police. The court asked Upadhyay to approach the Allahabad High Court seeking quashing of the FIR and listed the matter for September 7. In his petition, Upadhyay said the FIR had not been provided to him and alleged that police were pressuring nearby shopkeepers to delete CCTV footage from the relevant period. He sought quashing of the case or, alternatively, transfer of the investigation to an agency other than the Uttar Pradesh Police. He alleged that the FIR was lodged against him in connection with his reporting on alleged corruption in Uttar Pradesh.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.