SC restrains Assam Police from taking coercive action against journalist Siddharth Varadarajan

Guwahati: The Supreme Court of India on Friday (August 22, 2025) barred the Assam Police from taking any coercive action against senior journalist Siddharth Varadarajan and other journalists associated with the web portal The Wire, in connection with an FIR filed against them over a news article.

A bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi passed the order after senior advocate Nitya Ramakrishnan, representing the journalists, informed the court that Assam police were attempting to bypass earlier Supreme Court directives.

Ramakrishnan stated that Varadarajan and other journalists, including a consulting editor, had been summoned on Friday for recording statements related to an FIR lodged in May, raising concerns about possible arrest.

The bench, while extending protection to the journalists, emphasized that all parties must comply with the law. It directed the journalists to cooperate with the investigation and submit a status report on the next hearing.

Earlier, on August 12, 2025, the Supreme Court had protected Varadarajan and restrained the Assam Police from taking any coercive action in connection with the FIR concerning an article on Operation Sindoor.