New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday restrained the Uttar Pradesh Police from taking coercive steps against journalist Abhishek Upadhyay, who has alleged that a road-rage case filed against him was linked to his reporting on suspected irregularities in the handling of donations at Ayodhya’s Ram temple, PTI reported.
A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant and comprising Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana issued notice to the Uttar Pradesh government during the hearing of Upadhyay’s plea. The bench also directed the authorities to furnish him with a copy of the FIR registered at Indirapuram police station in Ghaziabad.
The court further sought an affidavit from the police confirming compliance with its directions. It asked Upadhyay to move the Allahabad High Court with a plea seeking the cancellation of the FIR and fixed September 7 as the next date for hearing.
Upadhyay told the Supreme Court that the police had not supplied him with the FIR despite the case being registered against him. He also alleged that officers were asking shopkeepers near the location to erase CCTV recordings from the time of the alleged incident.
The journalist has sought the quashing of the case. As an alternative, he has requested that the investigation be handed over to an agency independent of the Uttar Pradesh Police.
In his petition, Upadhyay claimed that the road-rage FIR was deliberately registered to intimidate him and retaliate against his reports alleging corruption in Uttar Pradesh. The proceedings before the Supreme Court concern the journalist’s plea for protection and an impartial probe.