Guwahati: The Supreme Court is set to hear a plea filed by journalist Abhisar Sharma on Thursday, challenging an FIR registered against him by the Assam Police. The case stems from a video post in which Sharma allegedly criticized the state’s policies.
Sharma’s petition, filed through his lawyer Sumeer Sodhi, asks the court to quash the FIR. A bench comprising Justices M.M. Sundresh and N. Kotiswar Singh will hear the case.
Sharma said that the FIR was registered after he published a video criticizing Assam government’s ‘communal politics’ and questioning its allotment of 3,000 bighas of land to a private entity.
In his plea, Sharma has challenged the validity of Section 152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which deals with acts endangering the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India.
The FIR against Sharma was registered at the Guwahati Crime Branch police station based on a complaint filed by Alok Baruah.
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Baruah alleged that Sharma’s remarks had the effect of provoking communal sentiments and creating feelings of distrust against state authorities.
He has been booked under various sections of BNS, including 152 and 196 (promoting enmity between groups).
Recently, the apex court also granted interim protection from arrest to online news portal The Wire’s Founding Editor Siddharth Varadarajan and Consulting Editor Karan Thapar in an FIR registered by Assam police under Section 152 BNS.
