Sedition case: SC grants interim protection to journalists Siddharth Varadarajan, Karan Thapar

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 FIRs filed by Assam Police over their articles and interviews.

A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi issued the order while hearing a plea by the Foundation for Independent Journalism (FIJ), which owns The Wire along with Varadarajan, reported PTI.

Senior advocate Nitya Ramakrishnan, appearing for the journalists, argued that Assam Police was attempting to bypass the court’s earlier orders by issuing fresh summons. She pointed out that although interim protection had already been granted in one FIR filed by Morigaon Police, the Guwahati Crime Branch had initiated action in another case.

She also raised concerns that multiple FIRs could be filed, posing a risk of arrest. The bench assured her, saying, “We are watching,” while directing the journalists to cooperate with the investigation and submit a status report.

On August 12, the apex court had restrained Assam Police from taking coercive steps against Varadarajan in a case related to Operation Sindoor.

The first FIR, lodged on May 9 by the Guwahati Crime Branch under Section 152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), cited 14 articles and interviews as allegedly threatening India’s sovereignty and integrity. No action was taken until August 12.

Another FIR was filed on July 11 by Morigaon Police, also under Section 152 of the BNS, over a June 28 report concerning remarks attributed to an Indian defence attaché about the loss of aircraft in Operation Sindoor.

The Supreme Court had earlier protected The Wire and its editors in the Morigaon FIR. On Friday, it extended similar protection in the May 9 case filed by the Crime Branch, ensuring no coercive action will be taken.