Journalists Under Siege: EGI Calls Out Rising Intimidation Through FIRs & Summons
(Syed Ali Taher Abedi)
Guwahati,19, August,2025- Editor of The Wire, and Karan Thapar, Consulting Editor of the same publication—to appear in Guwahati in connection with a First Information Report (FIR) alleging threats to India’s sovereignty.
According to sources, both journalists have been directed to present themselves before the Crime Branch office in Panbazar, Guwahati, on August 22, 2025. The summons comes in the wake of a recent Supreme Court order granting Varadarajan and others protection from “coercive action” by Assam authorities over a separate FIR linked to an article published by The Wire.
While the details of the latest FIR remain unclear, speculation persists over whether it pertains to the same contentious article that criticized the government’s handling of Operation Sindoor. The Guild has called for transparency and restraint, emphasizing the importance of safeguarding press freedom in democratic discourse.
As with the earlier FIR registered at Morigaon Police Station, the latest case also invokes Section 152 of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which pertains to acts endangering the sovereignty, unity, and integrity of India. In addition to Section 152, the FIRs invoke several other provisions: Section 196 (communal enmity), Section 197(1)(d)/3(6) (false propaganda), Section 353 (public mischief), Section 45 (abetment), and Section 61 (criminal conspiracy).
The Statement of the Guild says it is extremely disturbed by this continuing trend of law enforcement agencies across states registering FIRs against journalists by invoking multiple provisions of the criminal code. This practice effectively muzzles independent journalism, as the very process of responding to notices, summons, and prolonged judicial proceedings becomes a form of punishment.
The invocation of Section 152 of the BNS is particularly troubling, since it is widely regarded as a repackaged version of the draconian sedition law (Section 124A of the IPC), which the Supreme Court ordered to be kept in abeyance in May 2022 in response to petitions filed by the Guild and others challenging its constitutionality. Rather than meaningfully engage with the concerns raised by the Court, the government reintroduced the provision in broader form under the new law. Section 152 of the BNS now extends beyond speech acts (written or oral) to also include the alleged use of financial means to pursue certain objectives.
Earlier the Guild had written to the Home Ministry in July 2024 highlighting these concerns, specifically regarding Section 152 and other provisions that pose a serious risk of misuse against free speech. It had also urged the introduction of procedural safeguards to prevent the arbitrary application of such laws against journalists in the course of their professional work.
The EGI further said that while laws must always be respected and upheld, they must not be misused to suppress journalism. The Editors Guild urges the Assam Police to refrain from actions that could cast even the slightest doubt on their true intent. The Guild also takes the opportunity to remind fellow journalists about the importance of pursuing their profession without fear or favour. Honest journalism can never be a crime.
