The Supreme Court on Tuesday, August 24, 2026, granted interim protection from coercive action to journalist Abhishek Upadhyay in connection with a Ghaziabad FIR arising from an alleged road-rage incident. The Court also directed the Uttar Pradesh Police to provide him with a copy of the FIR and sought the State’s response.
The order was passed by a bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana. The matter will next be taken up on September 7. The proceedings and the basic facts of the FIR have also been reported by multiple legal and national news outlets.
Background of the Case
The FIR was registered at Indirapuram police station in Ghaziabad on August 18. According to the complaint, a motorcycle was allegedly hit by a Baleno car near Shipra Mall, following which the driver allegedly abused and threatened the rider.
The case invokes provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Upadhyay has denied the allegations. According to his petition, he was returning after picking up his minor daughter from school when a motorcycle-borne person approached his car and created a commotion. He maintains that there was no collision or physical confrontation.
The journalist has alleged that the FIR was a retaliatory action connected with his investigative reporting, including reports concerning alleged irregularities in donations connected with the Ram Temple in Ayodhya and alleged corruption in Uttar Pradesh.
He has also alleged that CCTV footage from the area was being withheld or deleted and that the complete FIR had not been supplied to him.
Supreme Court Hearing
Senior Advocate Pradeep Rai, appearing for Upadhyay, told the bench that the allegations were false and that CCTV footage would assist in determining what actually happened.
The Chief Justice indicated that the Court would distinguish between a genuine road-rage incident involving caste-based abuse and an allegation that was entirely fabricated.
“Suppose you hit a scooterist with your car, and then you get out of your car and give casteist abuses. Then, yes, it is an offence and it has to be seen. Let us hypothetically say, it can happen in various ways. If it is a completely imaginary and concocted story, then it is a different case.”
Rai responded that the CCTV footage would help establish the circumstances and requested that the relevant material be preserved.
Court’s Decision
After hearing the matter, the Supreme Court issued notice to the State of Uttar Pradesh and directed that no coercive action be taken against Upadhyay in the existing FIR or any FIR that may be registered against him, to the Court’s knowledge.
The bench further directed the Ghaziabad police authorities to supply a copy of the FIR to Upadhyay so that he could pursue the appropriate legal remedy. The Commissioner of Police, Ghaziabad, was directed to file a compliance report.
The matter is now listed for September 7, 2026.
