Madras High Court Quashes FIR Against OpIndia's Rahul Roushan, Nupur Sharma Over Alleged Fake News On Bihari Migrants Being Attacked

Justice GK Ilanthiraiyan, on Tuesday (4^th March), allowed the plea filed by Rahul and Nupur in 2023 seeking to quash the FIR registered against them by the Avadi Police.

The Thiruninravur Police in the Avadi City Police Commissionerate had registered the case under Sections 153A, 501, and 505 of the IPC for making statements and publishing defamatory content, thus promoting enmity between different groups of people. The case was registered upon a complaint lodged by Suryaprakash, a member of the IT Wing of the ruling DMK party. In his complaint, Suryaprakash stated that the portal had published fake news, which could create conflict and a sense of fear among the migrant workers in the State. He also stated that the news could cause disruption to public tranquility.

Roushan and Sharma had first approached the Supreme Court seeking to quash the FIR. The SC, however, refused relief and observed that they had an alternative remedy of approaching the High Court under Section 482 of CrPC. The Supreme Court also granted them protection from any coercive action based on the FIR for four weeks, allowing them to avail of the judicial remedies.

Though Rahul and Nupur had approached a vacation bench of the High Court in May 2023, the court refused to provide any urgent relief and directed the matter to be posted before a regular bench.

Order copy awaited.

Case Title: Nupur J Sharma And Another v. The Inspector of Police and Another

Citation: 2025 LiveLaw (Mad) 88

Case No: Crl OP 11366 of 2023