YouTuber who reported on Ram Mandir donation gets protection from arrest in road rage case

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court granted protection from arrest to YouTuber Abhishek Upadhyay, who had reported on alleged irregularities in donations for the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. The three-judge bench, led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, ruled that no coercive action should be taken against Upadhyay in the existing FIRs or any future ones.

Senior advocate Pradeep Rai argued that the police had not provided him with the complete FIR, and the bench ordered the police to supply a copy to him. Rai also suggested that the entire case should be transferred to the Delhi Police or CBI for a fair investigation, as Upadhyay had done investigative reports on other topics. The court acknowledged the petitioner's apprehension of arrest and promised to address it.

The bench stated that they were unaware of the truth but would ensure the petitioner's apprehension was resolved. If the petitioner could prove a case for quashing the FIRs, the court would consider it. The order was issued to be returned on September 7, and the police were directed to file a compliance report once they received the FIR copy.