Archive · 1 Sep 2026
Journalist Challenges Police Request for Digital Activity Data
Journalist Abhishek Upadhyay told the Supreme Court that police wanted information about his online activities.
He said X told him the police were seeking his digital footprint.
His lawyer said the request covered a period when Upadhyay was reporting on alleged stolen donations from a Ram temple.
The lawyer worried that the information could reveal the journalist’s sources.
Upadhyay also faces a separate road-rage case in Ghaziabad.
He says that case was filed to harass him because of his reporting.
The Supreme Court has protected him from arrest for now.
The court said it would consider his concerns about the data request.
It also told him to ask the High Court to seek dismissal of the case.
Abhishek Upadhyay told the Supreme Court that Ghaziabad Police sought his digital activity data from June 1.
Upadhyay said X informed him that the police were seeking his “digital footprint.”
His lawyer linked the request to the journalist’s reporting on alleged Ram temple donation embezzlement in Ayodhya.
The lawyer argued that disclosure could expose Upadhyay’s journalistic sources to harassment by state authorities.
The Supreme Court said it would examine the concerns while Upadhyay remains protected from arrest in a separate road-rage case.
- Who
- Journalist Abhishek Upadhyay, his lawyer, Ghaziabad Police, and the Supreme Court of India.
- What
- Upadhyay challenged an alleged police request for his digital activity data and raised concerns about protecting journalistic sources.
- When
- The petition was discussed on Tuesday; the road-rage FIR was registered on August 18, and the Supreme Court granted protection from arrest on August 25. A further hearing is scheduled for September 7.
- Where
- The matter was heard by the Supreme Court of India and concerns Ghaziabad Police, while the reporting involved alleged donations at a Ram temple in Ayodhya.
- Why
- Upadhyay’s lawyer said the data request could expose journalistic sources and was connected to the period when Upadhyay was gathering material for his reports.
- Journalist
- Abhishek Upadhyay
- Data sought
- Upadhyay said police sought his “digital footprint” from June 1.
- Police agency
- Ghaziabad Police
- Related reporting
- Reports on alleged embezzlement or theft of donations at the Ram temple in Ayodhya.
- Separate case
- A road-rage FIR alleges that Upadhyay hit a two-wheeler, threatened its rider, and abused him.
- Arrest protection
- The Supreme Court granted Upadhyay protection from arrest on August 25.
- Next hearing
- The case is scheduled to be heard further on September 7.