Harassment – Journalists

The Reporters Collective (TRC), a digital media outlet that has worked on several groundbreaking investigations, has received orders from the Income Tax Department (I-T) challenging their non-profit status, saying that their journalism does not serve any public purpose.
TNM has learnt that similar orders have been served to at least two other media outlets across the country that operate under a charitable trust and have tax exemptions under the non-profit status. These orders mean that tax exemptions given to a non-profit will be impacted. The orders can, however, be appealed.
Bengaluru-based Kannada website The File, which has also done several important investigations, against all political parties in Karnataka, received a similar order in December 2024 when they sought renewal of their charitable trust status. The order said that the exemptions provided to The File under 12A and 80G of the Income Tax At was cancelled.