New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday granted protection from arrest to The Wire’s founding editor Siddharth Varadarajan and consulting editor Karan Thapar in connection with a case registered by the Assam Police.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi passed the order while hearing a petition filed by the Foundation for Independent Journalism (FIJ), which owns The Wire along with Varadarajan.
Senior advocate Nitya Ramakrishnan, representing the editors, told the bench that despite earlier protection orders, Assam Police continued to issue summons. She pointed out that although the court had already shielded the journalists in a case filed by Morigaon Police, the Guwahati Crime Branch had summoned them in another FIR registered in May.
According to Ramakrishnan, her clients were called to record statements on Friday, raising apprehensions of arrest. “There could be further FIRs,” she submitted, noting that the threat of coercive action still loomed. The bench responded, “We are watching,” while assuring the journalists of protection.
The court directed the editors to cooperate with the investigation and submit a status report at the next hearing. “Everyone is expected to follow the law,” the judges said, making it clear that participation in the probe was necessary. On August 12, the top court had earlier restrained Assam Police from taking coercive steps against Varadarajan in an FIR linked to an article on Operation Sindoor. The May 9 FIR filed by the Guwahati Crime Branch cited Section 152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and listed 14 interviews and reports as allegedly affecting India’s sovereignty and integrity.
A separate FIR was registered on July 11 by Morigaon Police over a June 28 article on the loss of Indian aircraft. Protection was extended in that case as well.