Allahabad HC rejects News18 reporter’s plea for FIR, calls incident fake

The Allahabad High Court has dismissed a petition by News18 reporter Amit Kumar Srivastava seeking registration of an FIR over an alleged attempt on his life. The court, in an August 12 order, noted the police investigation found the shooting incident near Prayagraj's Jhusi area on August 1, 2025, was fabricated. CCTV footage and forensic analysis of bullet marks on his vehicle contradicted his account, the state told the court.

Barandbench.com reports that the court observed Srivastava's allegations were false and made to obtain police security cover. The bench of Justices Chandra Dhari Singh and Tarun Saxena said the petition was not maintainable as Srivastava had not availed the remedy under the BNSS before approaching the high court. The court expressed concern over litigants directly invoking Article 226 for FIR registration without exhausting statutory remedies.

Separately, journalist Abhishek Upadhyay has moved the Supreme Court seeking quashing of a Ghaziabad FIR in an alleged road rage case. Telanganatoday.com reports Upadhyay claims the case is fabricated to harass him for his reporting on alleged irregularities in donations to the Ayodhya Ram temple. He has sought a probe by Delhi police or the CBI, saying he fears arrest and physical harm.