SC restrains Assam police from coercive action against 'The Wire' journalists
The top court protected senior journalist Siddharth Varadarajan and others in a case, while directing them to cooperate with the investigation
The Supreme Court on Friday (August 22) restrained Assam Police from taking any coercive action against senior journalist Siddharth Varadarajan and other journalists, including consulting editor, working with digital news portal, The Wire, in connection with an FIR lodged against them over a news article.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi passed the order after senior advocate Nitya Ramakrishnan, appearing for the journalists, said that Assam police was circumventing the earlier orders passed by the court.
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SC grants protection
Varadarajan and several other journalists, including a consulting editor, have been summoned on Friday to record their statements in connection with an FIR filed in May, amid apprehensions of possible arrest.
The bench, while protecting the journalists, said everyone is expected to follow the law and asked the journalists to join the investigation and file a status report on the next date of hearing.
On August 12, the top court had protected Varadarajan and restrained the Assam police from taking any coercive action against him in connection with an FIR lodged against him over an article on Operation Sindoor.
(With agency inputs)