Lawfare, General Lawfare – Journalists

Dhaval Patel, the editor of Gujarati Face of Nation news website, was arrested on May 11 and charged with sedition for publishing a report that alleged Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani may be replaced for mishandling the Covid-19 response. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its Indian affiliates; the Indian Journalists Union (IJU) and the National Union of Journalists- India (NUJ-I) condemn the arrest and call on authorities to drop all charges against him.

Patel was detained at his residence after the Ahmedabad police registered a First Information Report (FIR) on May 8 against the editor under Section 124(A) of the Indian Penal Code and Section 54 of the Disaster Management Act. The FIR accuses the article of being “baseless” and inciting “instability and atmosphere of fear” during the pandemic.

The Face of Nation on May 7 published a report suggesting Chief Minister  Rupani may be replaced by Union Minister Mansukh Mandviya as the senior figures in the  BJP were unhappy with his performance on Covid-19 pandemic management. If convicted of violating India’s Sedition Law, Patel could face life imprisonment.  If he is convicted of spreading false claims amid the pandemic, he could be sentenced to two years in jail under the Disaster Management Act.