FIR in Assam: SC grants 4-week interim protection to journalist Abhisar Sharma

The Supreme Court on Thursday granted a four-week interim protection from arrest to journalist Abhisar Sharma in an FIR lodged against him in Assam over a video post allegedly criticising the state's policies.

A Bench of Justice MM Sundresh and Justice N Kotiswar Singh, however, asked Sharma to move the Gauhati High Court to seek quashing of the FIR even as it issued notice to the Centre on his plea challenging the validity of Section 152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which deals with acts endangering the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India.

An FIR has been registered against Sharma at the Guwahati Crime Branch Police Station on a complaint filed by one Alok Baruah who alleged that a video uploaded by Sharma on his YouTube channel on August 8 has the effect of creating communal tension and distrust among the state authorities. He has been booked under various sections of BNS, including 152 and 196 (promoting enmity between groups).

In the video, Sharma allegedly referred to recent remarks by the Gauhati High Court, questioning why 3,000 bighas of land in the tribal Dima Hasao district were allotted to a private company to set up a cement factory.