The Supreme Court of India on Thursday (August 28, 2025) granted a four-week interim protection from arrest to journalist Abhisar Sharma and directed him to approach the Gauhati High Court to challenge an FIR lodged against him by the Assam Police over a video post allegedly criticising the State’s policies. The FIR had invoked Section 152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which criminalises “acts endangering the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India.”
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for the journalist, argued that Section 152 had become an “omnibus provision” that was being indiscriminately invoked to stifle dissent. However, a Bench of Justices M.M. Sundresh and N. Kotiswar Singh questioned why the petitioner had approached the apex court directly, “bypassing” the Gauhati High Court.
