Assam Police Action in Invoking Sedition Law Against Journalists in Second Case Legally Unsustainable

To put it gently, it was definitely most astounding, anguishing and appalling to see that on August 12, 2025, that is the day the Supreme Court had issued notice on "The Wire's" newspaper petition challenging the constitutionality of the new sedition law and protected its journalists, which also included the founding editor named Siddharth Varadarajan who earlier was with prestigious "The Hindu" newspaper from any "coercive action" by the Assam police in a case that had been filed in Morigaon in July, came a fresh shock as the Guwahati Crime Branch summoned Siddharth Varadarajan and senior journalist Karan Thapar in a fresh second 'sedition' FIR case that had been filed by the State police amid controversy over an article that had been published pertaining to "Operation Sindoor", which is certainly beyond a straw of doubt legally unsustainable.

- SANJEEV SIROHI

It must be disclosed here that the summons was received at "The Wire's" office in New Delhi on August 14. On August 18, an identical summons was received in the name of Karan Thapar for the same FIR.

It must be noted that the summons for Siddharth Varadarajan had been issued by the police inspector Soumarjyoti Ray under Section 35(3), BNSS that referred to an FIR (03/2025) that had been registered at the Crime Branch, Panbazar, Guwahati, under Sections 152, 196, 197(1)(D)/3(6), 353, 45 and 61.

It is most baffling to see that while the FIR that had been registered against Siddharth Varadarajan in Morigaon on July 11, 2025 pertained to a complaint that had been filed by a BJP officeholder over a story that had been published in "The Wire" on June 28, 2025 ("IAF Lost Fighter Jets to Pak Because of Political Leadership's Constraints": Indian Defence Attaché), it is not apparent what article or video the Crime Branch FIR relates to.