Editors Guild Condemns FIR Against The Hindu’s Gujarat-based Journalist 

Date:

Senior journalist Mahesh Langa charged with possessing documents of the Gujarat government’s maritime board

Team Clarion

NEW DELHI – The Editors Guild of India on Monday condemned the First Information Report (FIR) filed against Mahesh Langa, a journalist from The Hindu, for possessing documents of the Gujarat government’s maritime board.

The journalist reportedly obtained and published articles based on confidential government documents, which led to legal action initiated by the authorities. The Editors Guild argued that such actions threaten press freedom in India and called for the charges to be dropped.

The senior journalist is currently in judicial custody following his arrest on October 10, in an alleged GST fraud case, while he was not named in the FIR.

Langa is a senior media personality in Gujarat and is seen as an independent voice. He has often been found to be critical of the BJP-led state government. 

In a press release, the Editors Guild said that registration of the second FIR against Langa, for possessing ‘confidential’ documents, is ‘worrisome’, as journalists are often required to access and review sensitive documents in the course of their work.

The FIR against The Hindu journalist stems from the publication of articles involving sensitive or classified government documents.  The journalist and The Hindu defended the articles as responsible journalism aimed at informing the public about government accountability, according to reports.

The Editors Guild voiced strong opposition to the FIR, emphasising that it appeared to be a retaliatory measure aimed at stifling investigative reporting. It argued that journalists should not face legal action for fulfilling their duty of public service, especially in cases that hold the government accountable.

The Guild argued that information disclosed by journalists is often necessary for public understanding and debate, which outweighs the confidentiality concerns.

Such legal actions may dissuade journalists from reporting on government matters that could be in the public interest, weakening the media’s role as the “fourth pillar” of democracy.

The Hindu’s editor Suresh Nambath took to social media platform X expressing his concerns over the case against the senior journalist. “District Superintendent of Police Ravi Teja Vasamsetty said the next day that the online FIR was not accessible to the public as it had been put under the “sensitive” category. This is completely unacceptable,” said Nambath.

“We would like to reiterate that journalists are required to process documents, including those of a confidential nature, in the line of their work. They are guided by the larger public interest in perusing documents that are official or confidential,” he said.

The outcome of this case may set a precedent for how journalists are treated when handling government documents and could impact press freedom across the country.

Share post:

Popular

More like this
Related

‘Bulldozer Justice Simply Unacceptable’: Chandrachud’s Final  Judgment as CJI

The judgment also laid down several steps which the...

J&K Students Forced to Shave Their Beard in Karnataka Nursing College

BENGALURU --- A group of students from Jammu and...

Congress Criticises BJP’s Fake Propaganda in Maharashtra Polls 

MUMBAI —  Two Congress Chief Ministers and a Deputy...

Left Out: Only One IAS/IPS Officer Among Every 5.73 Lakh Muslims

Over the past seven and a half decades, the...