Journalist Abhishek Upadhyay, who reported on alleged irregularities in donations received at Ayodhya’s Ram Temple, has moved the Supreme Court challenging an FIR filed against him by Ghaziabad Police in connection with an alleged road-rage incident.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana agreed to list the plea for hearing on Tuesday.
In his petition, Upadhyay alleged that the FIR was based on fabricated allegations and was intended to harass him for his independent journalistic work.
“Multiple FIRs have been filed against him and now an FIR under the stringent provisions of the SC/ST Act has also been filed. The police raided his house on August 20. Yesterday also, the police came at 5 o’clock,” his counsel told the court while seeking urgent listing of the petition.
Upadhyay has sought quashing of the FIR and an investigation by an agency other than the Uttar Pradesh Police.
In his plea, he claimed that the FIR had not been supplied to him and alleged that police were pressuring nearby shopkeepers to delete CCTV footage from the time of the alleged incident.
The journalist has also expressed apprehension of arrest and further physical harm. His counsel told the court that, given the circumstances, Upadhyay was not in a position to safely approach the Allahabad High Court.
Upadhyay has alleged that the road-rage case was fabricated in retaliation for his reporting on alleged corruption in Uttar Pradesh.
According to his petition, the incident took place on August 18 near Shipra Mall in Ghaziabad, when a motorcyclist allegedly came into contact with his car. The motorcyclist subsequently called the police emergency helpline 112, following which an FIR was registered.
