Journalistic Integrity Under Fire: The Guwahati Summons

Senior journalists Siddharth Varadarajan and Karan Thapar have been summoned by the Guwahati Police on sedition charges. The summons require their appearance on August 22, but the exact reasons remain undisclosed. Failure to comply could lead to arrest, as per the notice from the Crime Branch.

Senior journalists Siddharth Varadarajan and Karan Thapar are at the center of a legal maelstrom as the Guwahati Police have summoned them on charges of sedition. The notices demand their presence before the Crime Branch on August 22, yet the specifics of the allegations remain cloaked in mystery.

Issued by Crime Branch Inspector Soumarjyoti Ray, the summons cite an FIR invoking sections pertaining to acts endangering national unity. Varadarajan received his notice on August 14, followed by Thapar on the subsequent Monday, with strict warnings of arrest in case of non-compliance.

The drama unfolds as the FIR references sections under the BNS, notably replacing the controversial Section 124A of the IPC, which the Supreme Court had rendered obsolete in 2022. Repeated inquiries to senior police officials for comment have met with silence, leaving much of the journalistic and public community in speculative suspense.

(With inputs from agencies.)