Journalist moves SC, alleges UP Police seeking digital footprint to trace Ram Temple donation sources
Journalist Abhishek Upadhyay approached SC claiming UP Police seeks his digital footprint to identify sources in his Ram Temple donations investigation.
Independent journalist Abhishek Upadhyay on Tuesday urgently approached the Supreme Court, alleging that the Uttar Pradesh Police is attempting to access his digital footprint from June 1, 2026, in a bid to identify his sources. Upadhyay had earlier flagged the alleged misappropriation of donations meant for the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
Appearing before Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Upadhyay's counsel, advocate Anoop Prakash Awasthi, informed the court that the investigating officer (IO) in a road rage case against the journalist has sought his digital footprint from the social media platform 'X'.
"The IO is investigating a road rage FIR against me. The FIR was registered on August 18, 2026. Why should he want my entire digital footprint from June 1, 2026, which happens to be the date from which I collected evidence on the Ram Temple donations," Awasthi submitted.
The lawyer alleged that the police efforts were aimed at unearthing his client's sources and harassing them. "All my journalistic sources would be at the mercy of the State machinery and subject to harassment," he said, urging the court to protect his client and his work.
The court has already granted Upadhyay protection from coercive action in an order passed on August 25. On that day, Upadhyay, represented by senior advocate Pradeep Rai, had submitted that he had committed the "unpardonable sin of exposing the Ram Mandir donation issue." Rai had also noted that the police had not provided his client with a copy of the FIR and CCTV footage in the road rage case.
The court subsequently ordered the police to provide these documents and file a compliance report by the next hearing on September 7. The interim protection granted in the road rage case was also extended to any other FIRs filed against Upadhyay in the interim, to give him "breathing space and time."
The road rage case against Upadhyay alleges that his SUV hit a two-wheeler, following which he shouted caste-based abuses at the scooterist.