2 hrs ago
Allahabad High Court Stays FIR Against School-Report Journalist
Journalist Amit Yadav visited a government school in Lucknow to report problems there.
He said the school had damaged toilets and no drinking water for students.
Teachers were also interviewed about the school’s condition.
His report was published four days before police registered an FIR against him.
The Allahabad High Court said the case appeared to be retaliation for exposing the problems.
The court compared this to “killing the messenger.”
It stopped further proceedings under the FIR for now.
It also asked a senior education official to provide an affidavit and photographs showing the school’s current condition.
The Allahabad High Court stayed further proceedings under an FIR against journalist Amit Yadav.
Yadav reported alleged deficiencies at Upper Primary School in Begariamau, Lucknow.
His counsel said the school had dilapidated toilets and no drinking water for students.
The report was published four days before the FIR was registered on August 24.
The court described the FIR as prima facie retaliatory and ordered a school-condition report with photographs.
- Who
- Journalist Amit Yadav, the Allahabad High Court, and officials of the Uttar Pradesh Basic Education Department.
- What
- The court stayed further proceedings under an FIR filed against Yadav after he reported alleged deficiencies at a government school.
- Where
- Upper Primary School in Begariamau, Gosainiganj, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.
- When
- The FIR was registered on August 24; the court order was reported on September 9, with no year specified.
- Why
- The court found it prima facie apparent that the FIR may have been retaliatory after Yadav reported the school’s alleged shortcomings.
Journalist and Court’s View
FIR and Authorities’ Side
Whether the FIR was retaliatory
Journalist and Court’s View
Yadav’s petition and the court’s observations said the FIR appeared to have been filed in retaliation for reporting the school’s deficiencies, amounting to “killing the messenger.”
FIR and Authorities’ Side
An FIR was registered against Yadav, but the articles do not state the authorities’ explanation or the allegations underlying the police case.
Public reporting versus police action
Journalist and Court’s View
Yadav said he visited the school in his professional capacity and brought its alleged infrastructure problems to public notice.
FIR and Authorities’ Side
Police action was initiated after the report, although the articles provide no stated response from the police, education officials, or the complainant.
Key facts
- Journalist
- Amit Yadav
- Court
- Allahabad High Court’s Lucknow bench
- FIR location
- Gosainiganj police station, Lucknow
- Reported deficiencies
- Dilapidated toilets and unavailable drinking water for students
- Report timing
- Published four days before the FIR was registered
- Court action
- Further proceedings pursuant to the FIR were stayed
- Additional direction
- The additional chief secretary of the Basic Education Department must file a personal affidavit and attach photographs of the school
Quotes
Allahabad High Court
The court issuing the order concerning the journalist’s FIR
“the First Information Report is retaliatory action to the shortcomings being exposed by the petitioner, a journalist”
timesnownews.com
Sources
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