Editors Guild and PCI demand withdrawal of FIRs against Karan Thapar, Siddharth Varadarajan

New Delhi: The Editors Guild of India and the Press Club of India have come out strongly in defence of senior journalists Siddharth Varadarajan, Founding Editor of The Wire, and Karan Thapar, Consulting Editor of The Wire, after the Assam Police registered FIRs accusing them of “endangering the sovereignty of India.” They are demanding the withdrawal of FIRs against Thapar and Varadarajan.

“While laws must always be respected and upheld, they must not be misused to suppress journalism. The Editors Guild urges the Assam Police to refrain from actions that could cast even the slightest doubt on their true intent,” the Guild said in its statement, making the demand for withdrawal central to its response.

The Guild noted that this is not an isolated development, pointing out that the Supreme Court had only recently granted protection to Varadarajan against coercive action in another FIR filed in Morigaon linked to coverage critical of the government’s Operation Sindoor.

On August 12, 2025, even as the Supreme Court bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi had granted Varadarajan and all journalists at The Wire protection from any coercive action in an FIR (0181/2025) filed by the Assam Police in Morigaon on July 11, 2025 under Section 152 and other provisions of the BNS.

The Press Club of India echoed the same, stating unequivocally, “The undersigned media organisations demand the immediate withdrawal of these cases against The Wire’s journalists, as well as the withdrawal of the draconian Section 152 of BNS, which threatens freedom of expression as enshrined in Article 19(1)a of Indian Constitution.”

The Editors Guild warned against the systemic misuse of new criminal provisions against the media. “The Guild is extremely disturbed by this continuing trend of law enforcement agencies across states registering FIRs against journalists by invoking multiple provisions of the criminal code. This practice effectively muzzles independent journalism, as the very process of responding to notices, summons, and prolonged judicial proceedings becomes a form of punishment,” it said.

“While we welcome the relief given by the Supreme Court to The Wire and Varadarajan last week, the registration of a new case against him and Karan Thapar makes it apparent that Section 152 has become a tool with which to target the media in India,” PCI echoed.

At the heart of the controversy is Section 152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which pertains to acts “endangering the sovereignty, unity, and integrity of India.” The Guild observed that this provision is dangerously similar to the sedition law.

“The invocation of Section 152 of the BNS is particularly troubling, since it is widely regarded as a repackaged version of the draconian sedition law, rather than meaningfully engage with the concerns raised by the Court, the government reintroduced the provision in broader form under the new law,” the Guild observed.

“As can be seen from the actions of the Assam Police, Section 152 of BNS has been weaponised to chill the press into silence,” PCI added. 

The Guild also recalled its representation to the Union Home Ministry in July 2024, where it had cautioned: “these provisions pose a serious risk of misuse against free speech, and had sought procedural safeguards.”

The Guild stressed that laws must not be twisted into tools of intimidation. “While laws must always be respected and upheld, they must not be misused to suppress journalism. Honest journalism can never be a crime,” it said.

By centring their demands on the immediate withdrawal of the FIRs and calling out the dangers of BNS misuse, both the Editors Guild and the PCI have made clear that the fight is not just about two journalists, but about protecting press freedom itself.