Siddharth Varadarajan and Karan Thapar summoned by Guwahati Police in a sedition case for 22 August.
FIR No. 03/2025 under BNS sections cited; details not shared with journalists.
Mumbai Press Club condemns summons; Supreme Court granted interim protection to The Wire.
Guwahati Police Summons Siddharth Varadarajan And Karan Thapar In Sedition Case
The Wire journalists asked to appear before Crime Branch on August 22; FIR details not shared, Mumbai Press Club expresses concern.
Summary
Senior journalists Siddharth Varadarajan and Karan Thapar have been summoned by the Guwahati Police in connection with a sedition-related case, reported PTI.
Both journalists, associated with digital media platform The Wire, have been asked to appear before the Crime Branch on 22 August. According to the source, the summons stated, “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.”
Varadarajan received his summons on 14 August, while Thapar was served on Monday. The notices warned that failure to comply could render them liable for arrest.
According to PTI, the summonses were issued by Crime Branch Inspector Soumarjyoti Ray and referred to FIR No. 03/2025, registered under sections 152, 196, 197(1)(D)/3(6), 353, 45, and 61 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Section 152 addresses acts endangering the sovereignty, unity, and integrity of India and effectively replaces Section 124A of the IPC, which was stayed by the Supreme Court in May 2022.
The Wire has stated, as reported PTI, that it was not provided a copy of the FIR or details of the alleged offence. Repeated calls to senior police officials for clarification went unanswered, according to PTI. The summons coincided with a Supreme Court notice on a petition filed by The Wire challenging the constitutionality of the new sedition law. The court, reported PTI, granted interim protection to the publication and its journalists, including Varadarajan, in a separate case filed in Morigaon in July.
The Mumbai Press Club, in a statement on Twitter, expressed concern over the summons and FIR, noting that the police did not provide a dated FIR or details of the alleged offence, which they are legally required to do. The club urged the journalist community to support The Wire and called upon the Assam Police to end what it described as harassment of the publication and its editors.
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(With inputs from PTI)
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