Punitive action against journalists for doing their work is worrisome: Editors Guild on FIR against Mahesh Langa

On October 22, Gandhinagar Police filed an FIR against Langa successful the GMB case.

Several different property organisations, including the Press Club of India, the Indian Women’s Press Corps, Delhi Union of Journalists, Press Association, and the Kerala Union of Working Journalists besides issued a associated connection successful the substance connected Monday, pointing retired that Langa was arrested successful the GST fraud lawsuit contempt his sanction not being mentioned successful the superior FIR. The organisations further called upon the Press Council of India to “step successful and execute its mandate of safeguarding the state of the press.”

According to the EGI statement: “The Editors Guild of India has noted with interest the registration of a 2nd FIR against Mr Mahesh Langa…for allegedly possessing immoderate ‘confidential documents’… Journalists are often required to entree and reappraisal delicate documents successful the people of their work, and initiating punitive enactment against them for doing their enactment is worrisome.”

Referring to the FIR successful the GST fraud case, the connection read: “The Guild is alert that Mr Langa has already been successful detention implicit complaints regarding definite GST violations successful his idiosyncratic capableness earlier the 2nd FIR was filed.”

It further stated: “EGI hopes that Mr Langa volition not beryllium deprived of just and speedy justice. It is important that the Gujarat Police disclose details astir the 2nd acceptable of accusations levelled against him implicit possessing the confidential documents. That the 2nd FIR is not accessible to the nationalist online, since the constabulary person reportedly enactment it nether the ‘sensitive category’, is of sedate concern.”

The connection concluded with, “The Editors Guild stands for state of the property and reiterates the request to make a conducive situation crossed the state that allows each journalists to prosecute the nonrecreational duties responsibly.”

The connection by the EGI came 2 days aft Suresh Nambath, exertion of The Hindu, successful a bid of nationalist posts connected his X account, urged the Gujarat Police to drop charges against Langa.

The associated statement, meanwhile, stated: “We, the undersigned writer organisations, condemn the registration of a 2nd FIR by the Gujarat Police against elder writer Mahesh Langa successful a span of little than a month…He was arrested aboriginal this period by the Ahmedabad Crime Branch successful an alleged lawsuit of GST fraud adjacent though helium was not mentioned by sanction successful the superior FIR.”

EGI Statement connected the FIR against writer Mahesh Langa for possession of confidential documents pic.twitter.com/VrrdDErL2M

— Editors Guild of India (@IndEditorsGuild) October 28, 2024

It further said, “It is shocking that the specified possession of documents tin beryllium utilized by the authorities to registry an FIR against the national and, successful this case, a writer of sizeable standing. It is axiomatic that journalists will, owed to the quality of their assemblage and successful the pursuance of nationalist interest, beryllium successful possession of each kinds of worldly including documents accessed from assorted sources. To implicate and incriminate media persons for specified possession of documents is tantamount to a cardinal battle connected the assemblage itself.”

The organisations concluded with: “We entreaty and request that the FIR beryllium withdrawn and harassment caused to Mahesh Langa beryllium ceased forthwith. We besides telephone upon the Press Council of India to measurement successful and execute its mandate of safeguarding the state of the press.”

Notably, this is the 2nd associated connection issued by these groups, with the archetypal 1 being released connected October 10.