SC Seeks Affidavit on UP Police's Data Request in Journalist's Road-Rage Case
Supreme Court directs UP Police to file affidavit on data sought from X in road-rage case against journalist who flagged Ayodhya donation misuse.
The Supreme Court has questioned the Uttar Pradesh Police's decision to seek the digital data of an independent journalist in connection with a road-rage case. The journalist had earlier flagged alleged misappropriation of donations meant for the Ayodhya Ram temple.
The court directed the police to file an affidavit detailing what specific information they had requested from the social media platform X (formerly Twitter). The bench sought clarity on the nature and scope of the data sought, given the context of the case.
The journalist is facing a road-rage case, but the court noted the apparent link to his reporting on the temple donations. The police have been asked to explain why such a request was made and what relevance it holds to the ongoing investigation.
The matter is part of a broader scrutiny of the use of legal provisions against journalists and activists. The court's intervention comes as a check on potential overreach by law enforcement agencies in accessing personal digital records.