Journalist Abhishek Upadhyay challenges police request for digital data in Supreme Court

Journalist Abhishek Upadhyay has approached the Supreme Court of India to challenge a request by the Ghaziabad Police for his digital activity records from the social media platform X. The police are seeking his “digital footprint” dating back to June 1, 2026.

Upadhyay’s legal counsel, Anoop Prakash Awasthi, argued that the requested data is unrelated to a road-rage case registered against the journalist on August 18. The lawyer contended that the timeframe of the data request coincides with Upadhyay’s reporting on alleged embezzlement and irregularities involving donations at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. There are concerns that disclosing this information could expose the identities of journalistic sources to state authorities.

The Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice Surya Kant, has stated it will examine these concerns and has sought a response from the Uttar Pradesh government. This legal challenge follows a recent ruling where the Supreme Court granted Upadhyay interim protection from arrest in the underlying road-rage case.