An FIR was filed against The Wire‘s Siddharth Varadarajan and journalist Ismat Ara for allegedly misreporting a protester’s death during the Republic Day riots to incite violence. The Delhi High Court granted interim protection from coercive action and issued notices to complainants. Ultimately, the court quashed the FIR, ruling that the allegations failed to disclose offenses under Sections 153-B (promoting enmity) and 505(2) IPC (statements conducing to public mischief). The judgment upheld press freedom, finding no legal basis for the charges.
