Journalist Abhishek Upadhyay, Who Reported Ram Temple Donation Theft, Moves Supreme Court Against UP Police FIR
Journalist Abhishek Upadhyay, who was among the first to report allegations of theft and irregularities in donations at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, has moved the Supreme Court challenging an FIR registered against him in Ghaziabad over an alleged road-rage incident.
Upadhyay has alleged that the FIR is based on false and concocted allegations and is an attempt to harass him for his independent investigative journalism. He has sought the quashing of the FIR and protection from arrest and other coercive action.
The FIR was registered at Indirapuram police station on August 18. According to the complaint, a motorcycle ridden by one person was allegedly hit by a Baleno car near Shipra Mall. The complainant alleged that the driver abused and threatened him after the incident and named Upadhyay in connection with the car.
Upadhyay has denied the allegations. He says that on August 18, while returning from his daughter's school, a motorcycle-borne person approached his car near Shipra Mall and created a commotion. He claims there was no collision or physical confrontation and that he left the spot without engaging in a fight as his daughter was with him.
He has contended that there is a discrepancy in the registered number of the bike referred to in the complaint. Though the FIR refers to a Splendor bike, the number mentioned belongs to another bike.
Upadhyay has further alleged that police personnel approached shops near the alleged site of the incident and pressured shopkeepers to delete or withhold CCTV footage. He has urged the Supreme Court to direct the preservation of CCTV footage and other electronic evidence.
He also says that the complete FIR was not supplied to him despite repeated requests. Nor the FIR has been uploaded on the website in terms of the Supreme Court directions in the Youth Bar Association case. According to the petition, a police team of around a dozen personnel later visited his residence at night on August 20 while he was away. His wife and two daughters were reportedly at home. Upadhyay says the incident left him fearing arrest and further coercive action.
The petition links the action against him to his investigative reporting on alleged corruption and irregularities in Uttar Pradesh. His recent reports have covered the Ram Temple donation controversy and allegations involving government officials and departments.
He says that he is not in a position to approach the Allahabad High Court as he was fearing imminent arrest. He seeks the quashing of the arrest as the primary relief, and protection from arrest in the interim.
As an alternative relief, he has sought an investigation by an agency other than the Uttar Pradesh Police, including the CBI. Upadhyay has told the Supreme Court that he is willing to cooperate with any lawful investigation.