By Rajinder Singh Taggar
Mohali: As journalists from all over Punjab are gearing up for a symbolic protest in Sector 17, Chandigarh, on January 4, 2026, against the registration of an FIR against ten journalists, social media influencers, and an RTI activist, the government’s legal luminaries have found the FIR to be non-actionable.
After reading the FIR, sources in the State Prosecution Department informed Punjab Dastavez that the story presented in the FIR is farcical and would not withstand scrutiny in court. “It is the reason that since December 12, 2025, when the FIR was registered, no further action has been initiated, ” said the lawyers.
The president of the Bathinda Press Club, Bakhtaur Singh Dhillon, said that the AAP government was trying to suppress the media's voice and that such efforts would meet with stiff opposition, adding that a larger protest would be launched on January 8, 2026, at Bathinda with the support of different democratic organisations.
He said, on the one hand, the government was not providing information under the RTI Act; on the other hand, it was becoming perturbed by genuine and logical questions raised by independent journalists on their news web channels regarding the possible misuse of the state’s chopper.
A prosecution lawyer said that, except for the unusually high level of verbosity in the FIR, nothing concrete existed.
Chandigarh Press Club President Saurabh Duggal extended support to the Bathinda Press Club for its proposed January 4 protest and criticised the government for its uncalled-for action.
While extending support to the proposed protest, the Active Journalists’ Union of Punjab (AJUP) General Secretary, Kirandeep Kaur Aulakh, cautioned the government that it would face serious consequences if it continued its policy of suppressing the free media.