State: Assam
Year: 2025
Date: July 11, 2025
Source:
Lawfare – National Security, Journalists
On July 11, 2025, an FIR was registered by the Morigaon police in Assam based on a complaint by a local BJP leader with respect to an article on the website, ‘IAF Lost Fighter Jets to Pak Because of Political Leadership’s Constraints’: Indian Defence Attache’, published on June 28, 2025. The article dealt with a statement made by India’s defence attache to Indonesia, Captain (Indian Navy) Shiv Kumar, who acknowledged at a seminar in Indonesia that the Indian Air Force lost fighter jets to Pakistan on the night of May 7, 2025, during Operation Sindoor, because of the “constraint given by the political leadership to not attack the military establishment or their air defences”.
FIR No.181/2025 was registered on 11.07.2025, at PS Morigaon, Assam, under Sections 152*, 197(1)(d) and 353(1)(b) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.
*Section 152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) is the newly codified provision that replaces the colonial-era Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code, commonly known as the sedition law
Updated On: August 12, 2025
'Sedition' Case: Supreme Court Protects The Wire, Its Founding Editor from 'Coercive Action' By Assam Police
Nitya Ramakrishnan, representing The Wire, submitted that the provisions of Section 152 of the BNS were vague, and created a “chilling effect” on freedom of expression, particularly affecting the right of the media to report and raise questions at the government.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday (August 12) passed an order protecting members of the Foundation for Independent Journalism, the trust that owns The Wire, as well as the news organisation’s founding editor, Siddharth Varadarajan, against any coercive action in connection with an FIR registered by the Assam Police under Section 152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Updated On: August 18, 2025
Assam Police Invoke Sedition Law in Second Case Against The Wire, Naming Varadarajan, Karan Thapar
On August 12, 2025 – the day the Supreme Court issued notice on The Wire’s petition challenging the constitutionality of the new sedition law and protected its journalists, including founding editor Siddharth Varadarajan from any “coercive action” by Assam Police in a case filed in Morigaon in July – the Guwahati Crime Branch summoned Varadarajan and senior journalist Karan Thapar in a fresh ‘sedition’ FIR filed by the state police.
The summons for Varadarajan, issued by police inspector Soumarjyoti Ray under section S.35(3), BNSS, referred to an FIR (03/2025) registered at the Crime Branch, Panbazar, Guwahati, under sections 152, 196, 197(1)(D)/3(6), 353, 45 and 61.
However, the FIR date was not mentioned, no details of the alleged offence were provided and a copy of the FIR was not included – as the police are legally obliged to do while serving a summons under this section of the BNSS.
The summons was received at The Wire’s office here on August 14.
On August 18, an identical summons was received in the name of Thapar, for the same FIR.
Claiming that “it is revealed that there are reasonable grounds to question you to ascertain the facts and circumstances from you, in relation to the present investigation,” both Varadarajan and Thapar have been directed to appear at the Crime Branch office in Panbazaar, Guwahati on Friday, August 22. “Failure to attend/ comply with the terms of this Notice can render you liable for arrest”, the summons adds.
While the FIR registered against Varadarajan in Morigaon on July 11, 2025, pertains to a complaint filed by a BJP officeholder over a story published in The Wire on June 28, 2025 (IAF Lost Fighter Jets to Pak Because of Political Leadership’s Constraints’: Indian Defence Attache), it is not apparent what article or video the Crime Branch FIR relates to.
Updated On: August 24, 2025
Assam FIR against journo also names Malik, Pak media personality
The Guwahati Police, in its FIR against journalists Siddharth Vardarajan and Karan Thapar, also names former Jammu and Kashmir governor Satya Pal Malik, who has since died, Pakistani media personality Najam Sethi and Indian media person Ashutosh Bharadwaj, along with “unknown persons”.
The FIR, filed on May 9, by Guwahati resident Biju Verma alleged that in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor, online news platform ‘The Wire’ and some of its authors and editors published a series of articles and commentaries (between late April and early May 2025) that “prima facie undermine India’s sovereignty and security, promote enmity and public disorder, and spread misinformation”.