Journalist challenges road-rage FIR in Supreme Court

Journalist Abhishek Upadhyay has approached the Supreme Court of India to challenge a First Information Report (FIR) filed against him by the Ghaziabad police regarding an alleged road-rage incident. Upadhyay contends that the allegations are concocted and serve as a means of harassment following his reporting on alleged financial irregularities involving donations to the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.

In his plea, Upadhyay claims that he has not been provided with a copy of the FIR and alleges that police have pressured local shopkeepers to delete CCTV footage from the time of the incident. He further expressed fears of imminent arrest or physical harm by state machinery, stating he did not feel safe approaching the Allahabad High Court. He is seeking to have the FIR quashed or, alternatively, requesting that the investigation be transferred to an independent agency other than the Uttar Pradesh Police.

The Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice Surya Kant, has agreed to list the matter for a hearing, subject to the petitioner curing defects in the plea. This legal challenge occurs amidst broader Supreme Court scrutiny regarding a batch of pleas seeking an independent probe into the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust to investigate alleged misappropriation of funds.