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GUWAHATI, AUGUST 27: The Supreme Court will on August 28 consider a petition by journalist Abhisar Sharma, who has requested the quashing of an FIR registered against him by the Assam Police for a video post criticizing the policies of the state.
The issue will be heard by a bench of Justices MM Sundresh and N Kotiswar Singh. Sharma’s petition, moved through lawyer Sumeer Sodhi, is more than an individual case for him as it challenges the constitutional validity of Section 152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), a provision dealing with acts threatening the sovereignty, unity, and integrity of India.
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FIR was filed with the Guwahati Crime Branch police station on complaint by Alok Baruah, claiming that Sharma’s YouTube video posted on August 8 may cause communal unrest and erode public faith in institutions of the state.
Sharma is reported to have mentioned observations by the Gauhati High Court concerning the lease of 3,000 bighas of land in Dima Hasao district to a private firm for the construction of a cement plant. According to the complaint, Sharma has been arrested under various sections of the BNS, including Section 152 and Section 196, the latter being for inciting hatred between groups.
