New Delhi: A journalist, who reported on the Ayodhya Ram Janmabhoomi Temple donation theft case, has moved the Supreme Court, alleging that authorities in Uttar Pradesh are planning to implicate and arrest him in a false road rage case.
He has challenged an FIR lodged against him by the Ghaziabad Police in connection with the incident.
The bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V Mohana, on Monday, agreed to take up his petition on August 25 after it was mentioned for urgent listing, as reported by The Tribune.
“Multiple FIRs have been filed against him and now an FIR under the stringent provisions of the SC/ST Act has also been filed. The police raided his house on the 20th. Yesterday also, the police came at 5 o’clock. I have filed my writ petition. I request that it may be listed today or tomorrow, whatever is possible,” his counsel told the Court.
CJI Kant agreed to list the matter for hearing on Tuesday, subject to curing of defects in the petition.
Abhishek Upadhyay, who runs a YouTube channel, claimed a police team reached his residence late on August 20 and told him that a case had been registered at the Indirapuram police station following allegations of road rage and abusive behaviour.
The FIR was based on concocted allegations against him and was an attempt to harass him for his independent journalistic works, the journalist alleged.
Upadhyay contended that the FIR copy had not been supplied to him and that the police were forcing nearby shopkeepers to delete the CCTV visuals of the relevant time. He has sought quashing of the FIR, or in the alternative, its investigation to be transferred to an independent agency other than the Uttar Pradesh Police.
“The petitioner apprehends imminent arrest and further physical harm and states that, in view of the aforesaid sequence, he is not in a position to safely approach the High Court of Judicature at Allahabad. He apprehends that he may be arrested or subjected to physical harm by planted goons of the state machinery in the State of Uttar Pradesh before he can obtain effective judicial protection,” the plea said.
“He is, therefore, seeking quashing of the impugned FIR and in alternative ready and willing to join the investigation and cooperate with the Investigating Agency in accordance with law with a request that present FIR as well as other FIRs filed against him because of his reporting on Ramjanmabhumi donation theft issue may please be directed to be investigated by Delhi police or Central Bureau of Investigation,” it was submitted in the petition.
The alleged incident took place on August 18 near Shipra Mall in Ghaziabad, when a motorcyclist allegedly brushed against his car. He said the man subsequently called the police emergency helpline 112 and an FIR was registered later.
The police team had come to his residence possibly to arrest him, Upadhyay said and he requested Ghaziabad Police to release CCTV footage of the alleged incident.
He had previously reported on alleged irregularities in handling of donations to the Ram Temple, Ayodhya, and corruption in the Uttar Pradesh government, the petitioner said.
