Supreme Court makes ‘absolute’ protection from arrest to journalist who reported Ayodhya temple theft allegations

The Supreme Court of India on Wednesday (October 14, 2026) made absolute the interim protection from arrest granted to independent journalist Abhishek Upadhyay from any coercive action in a road rage case as well as other FIRs.

Mr. Upadhyay had authored investigative online stories of the alleged misappropriation and theft of donations at the Ayodhya Ram Temple.

A Bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya said the “arrest of the petitioner [Upadhyay] shall remain stayed until further notice”.

The court made absolute its interim orders of August 25 and September 7, which had protected him from arrest and directed him to cooperate with the investigation, respectively.

The court noted that the copy of the road rage FIR has been supplied to the petitioner.

The court further stopped a notice issued to him by the police to submit his digital devices.

The Bench ordered that Mr. Upadhyay could challenge the road rage FIR on any grounds, and the Supreme Court has not commented on its merits.

The court allowed Mr. Upadhyay, who said the road rage case was “staged” to counter his online reports about the temple, liberty to file a separate petition seeking guidelines to protect digital privacy and journalistic freedoms.