Can an accused be denied a copy of the FIR? | Explained
A three-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant directed the Ghaziabad Police Commissioner to provide him with the FIR and CCTV footage and to file a compliance report by September 7. It also protected him from arrest and allowed him to approach the jurisdictional High Court for further relief.
On August 25, 2026, the Supreme Court ruled that renowned journalist Abhishek Upadhyay must be granted a copy of the FIR and CCTV footage in a road-rage case filed against him in Ghaziabad. Upadhyay, who has written about suspected wrongdoing in Ram Mandir donations, claimed he was being unfairly blamed and had not received the FIR despite multiple requests.
On August 20, the journalist had received a notification from police stating that a case had been opened against him for road rage and abusive behavior at Indirapuram police station. However, his subsequent posts on X suggested the police had given him an old FIR from Lucknow instead of the correct one. Upadhyay then petitioned the Supreme Court, alleging the case was based on false allegations meant to target him for his journalism work and to harass him.
He sought a copy of the FIR and either the case being dismissed or moved to an independent agency. The three-judge Court directed the Ghaziabad Police Commissioner to provide Upadhyay with the FIR and CCTV footage and file a compliance report by September 7. The Court also shielded him from arrest and let him seek further relief from a High Court.
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