Lawfare – Journalists

Multiple police cases have been filed in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh against Congress MP Shashi Tharoor and six journalists for allegedly “misreporting” and “spreading disharmony” on Republic Day when a tractor rally by farmers turned violent in Delhi. All of them face charges including sedition, criminal conspiracy and promoting enmity under the Indian Penal Code. On January 26, thousands of protesting farmers clashed with the police during the tractor rally in protest against new farm laws. Hundreds of protesters had entered the Red Fort and clashed with the police.

One First Information Report (FIR) was filed in Noida and four FIRs in Madhya Pradesh’s Bhopal, Hosangabad, Multai and Betul. The FIR in Noida was filed on a complaint by a resident of the city near Delhi, who alleged “digital broadcasts” and “social media posts” by Mr Tharoor and the journalists, who claimed that a farmer had been shot dead by the Delhi Police, contributed to the siege of the Red Fort and violence during the tractor rally.

The journalists named in the FIRs are Rajdeep Sardesai, Mrinal Pande, Vinod Jose, Zafar Agha, Paresh Nath and Anant Nath. .