Over four days after a second FIR was lodged against The Hindu journalist Mahesh Langa, his colleagues took to X to condemn the police action and uphold “a journalist’s right to obtain and process a confidential or ‘sensitive’ official document in line with their work”.
The publication’s Gujarat-based senior assistant editor – who has been in judicial custody since October 8 for alleged GST fraud – was booked in another case on October 22. The second FIR was lodged at the Sector 7 police station in Gandhinagar for possession of confidential documents linked to the Gujarat Maritime Board.
The publication’s chairman and former editor-in-chief, N Ram, condemned the police action, appealed for support for a “journalist’s right” to obtain confidential documents, and said that “if journalists are imprisoned or otherwise penalised for obtaining and analysing such documents, much of investigative reporting would become extinct!”
A senior journalist at The Hindu, Suresh Nambath, said on X that he was deeply concerned. “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.”
Nambath said that it was “completely unacceptable” that the police have refused to make the online FIR accessible as it is put under “sensitive” category.
He also said that to file such an FIR was to “undermine their journalistic work and their fundamental rights and to subvert the public interest. We urge the Gujarat police to drop the charges relating to the possession of classified documents against Mahesh”.
Support a journalist’s right to obtain and process a confidential or ‘sensitive’ official document in the line of his or her work. Condemn the Gujarat police’s charges on this count against The Hindu’s Gujarat-based senior journalist, Mahesh Langa. If journalists are imprisoned… https://t.co/SS7VZSMJwk
— N. Ram (@nramind) October 26, 2024
Several X users condemned the charges against Langa, while some also said that The Hindu must stand by the journalist in the legal battle.
Condemning on X isn't going to help him, the Hindu has to fight it out legally. Of course, there would be a lot of support in spirit.
— Deepan Joshi (@JoshiDeepan) October 26, 2024
No journalist should be arrested unless they are involved in anti-national activities or monetising their information by blackmailing others with such information
— Sridhar Ramachandran (@sridharr1964) October 26, 2024
N Ram has come out of his deep slumber. Henceforth he can fight the injustices meted out to those who spoke against the DMK govt and particularly about it's first family. The fearless N Ram is back. OMG. Now I am in to the dream world!!
— Shriram (@ShriramTkl) October 26, 2024
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