HC stays FIR against journalist who exposed Lucknow school's poor condition

The Allahabad High Court's Lucknow bench on Wednesday stayed further proceedings pursuant to an FIR lodged against a journalist who had reported alleged deficiencies at a government school here, observing that the police action appeared to be retaliatory.

A bench of Justice Abdul Moin and Justice Pramod Kumar Srivastava also said lodging an FIR against a journalist after he brought deficiencies in a government school to public notice was akin to "killing the messenger".

The order was passed on a petition filed by journalist Amit Yadav, against whom an FIR was lodged at Gosainiganj police station in Lucknow.

According to Yadav's counsel, the journalist had visited the Upper Primary School at Begariamau in Gosainiganj in his professional capacity and found the school's toilets in a dilapidated condition. He also alleged that drinking water was not available for students and interviewed teachers about the condition of the school.

The petitioner submitted that the report was published four days before the FIR was registered against him on August 24.

During the hearing, the court observed that the FIR appeared, prima facie, to have been lodged as a retaliatory measure following the journalist's report highlighting deficiencies at the government school.

The bench also directed the additional chief secretary, Basic Education Department, to file a personal affidavit disclosing the present condition of the school and annex photographs of its premises.

The court stayed further proceedings pursuant to the FIR against the journalist.