Media fraternity: FIR unfair, unjustified

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, January 7

Journalists across the country today condemned the Unique Identification Authority of India’s (UIDAI) act of filing an FIR against The Tribune and its reporter over a story that exposed security breach in the Aadhaar system.

The Editors Guild of India, Broadcast Editors Association (BEA), Indian Journalists Union (IJU), Press Club of India, Indian Women’s Press Corps, Press Association and Mumbai Press Club issued separate statements condemning the UIDAI action as an attack on free press.

Calling the FIR as an “attempt to browbeat” the reporter, the Editors Guild, said, “The guild condemns UIDAI action to have The Tribune reporter booked by the police as it is clearly meant to browbeat a journalist whose investigation on the matter was of great public interest. It is unfair, unjustified and a direct attack on the freedom of press. Instead of penalising the reporter, the UIDAI should have ordered a thorough internal investigation into the alleged breach and made its findings public.”

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It also demanded that the Union Ministry should intervene and “have the case against the reporter withdrawn, apart from conducting an impartial investigation into the matter”.

The BEA demanded “immediate withdrawal of the police case against journalist Rachna Khaira”, who has been charged under various sections of the IPC, including forgery and cheating. “Such FIRs against journalists exposing systemic flaws is a spiteful kick in the teeth of Indian democracy and the right to free speech and expression,” it said.

The Indian Journalists Union said, “The FIR against the newspaper, the reporter and her sources is a huge coverup of the corruption and inefficiency in the UIDAI and amounts to shooting the messenger. It is a direct attack on the freedom of press.” It urged upon “the Press Council of India (PCI) to take suo motu cognizance of the case against the Tribune reporter and take corrective steps”.

In a joint statement by the Press Club of India, Indian Women’s Press Corps and Press Association said UIDAI FIR was “reflective of its misplaced priorities”. They said: “This move runs counter to the UIDAI claim that the Aadhaar data, including biometric information, is fully safe and secure.” If there is no breach, what is the offence they have supposed to have committed, they asked, while saying, the actions were “intimidatory, obstructionist and inimical to free, fair and independent journalism” and thus demanded “withdrawal of criminal charges”.

The Mumbai Press Club said, “This will be treated as nothing short of an attack on the privileges and rights of a free press, and the administration would be well-advised to avoid a clash with the Fourth Estate.”