Editors Guild Of India Members Approaches Supreme Court Against Manipur Police FIR Over Fact-Finding Report

The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a plea filed by the Editor's Guild of India (EGI) against the Manipur police's action of registering FIRs against three members of a fact-finding team of the EGI over a report on the conflict in the northeastern state. The matter was mentioned for urgent listing before a bench of CJI DY Chandrachud, Justice JB Pardiwala, and Justice Manoj Misra. The bench asked the petitioners to keep the papers ready for the matter so that it could be heard later today.

Senior Advocate Shyam Divan, appearing for the EGI, urged the Apex court to hear the matter urgently because the senior journalists involved in the case were apprehending arrest. He said–

"We are here seeking emergent directions under Article 32 and I will show how. Editor's guild of India appointed a fact finding committee. The three seniors were senior journalists. They went to Manipur and made a report and concluded that local news reports were biased."

The CJI asked what the urgency was in the matter. To this, Divan responded that FIRs had been lodged against the journalists and the EGI was challenging two such FIRs.

The matter was decided to be heard later in the day today. CJI said–

"Please keep the papers ready, we will take up after the admissions matters are over."

The Guild’s 24-page findings were released on September 2. The fact-finding team was sent to Manipur to examine the media reportage in the state from August 7 to 10. The FIRs are based on complaints describing the report as “ false, fabricated and sponsored”.