T.N. CM Stalin condemns action by Assam Police against journalists Siddharth Varadarajan, Karan Thapar of The Wire 

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Wednesday (August 20, 2025) condemned the action of the Assam Police in issuing summons to senior journalists Siddharth Varadarajan and Karan Thapar of The Wire.

In a post on X, Mr. Stalin said the summons have been issued despite the Supreme Court granting protection in a related matter only days earlier. No copy of the FIR and no particulars of the case have been furnished, leaving only the threat of arrest, he said.

​Sedition redux: On trampling on press freedom

Section 152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) is being misused as a substitute for the repealed sedition law to suppress independent journalism. A democracy cannot survive if asking questions is treated as sedition, he added.