19 Aug 2025 : Several prominent journalist associations—including the Press Club of India and the Indian Women’s Press Corps (IWPC)—have strongly condemned the Assam Police’s fresh sedition FIRs filed against The Wire editors Siddharth Varadarajan and Karan Thapar, calling the move “vindictive” and a blatant attempt to “target the media in India.” The FIRs invoke Section 152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), a repackaged version of the suspended sedition provision under the IPC .
On August 12, 2025, the Supreme Court had granted protection against coercive action in a separate FIR filed in Morigaon, protecting The Wire journalists. Yet, on the same day, Assam Police issued a new summon related to another sedition FIR without providing any details—asking both journalists to appear before the Crime Branch in Guwahati on August 22, under threat of arrest .
In response, the Press Club of India and IWPC issued a joint statement expressing dismay and demanding the immediate withdrawal of the FIRs. They emphasized that Section 152 has become a tool to stifle press freedom, undermining the fundamental right to freedom of expression guaranteed under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution .
The Mumbai Press Club also voiced concern, denouncing the lack of transparency, noting that no FIR details were shared—despite the obligation to provide such information under law .
To put things in context, Sections 152 and related provisions of BNS mirror the sedition offense originally under Section 124A of the IPC, which has been stayed since May 2022 by the Supreme Court.
Journalism rights groups see this as part of a troubling nationwide pattern of using draconian laws to chill dissent. As several media associations argue, invoking sedition—or its new equivalent—against journalists undermines democratic principles and threatens to shutter independent media voices.
As the August 22 deadline draws near, all eyes are on how Varadarajan and Thapar will respond—and whether the judiciary will enforce existing protections or public pressure will reinforce press freedom.