Withdrawal of FIR against Tribune journalist demanded

A newspaper employees' union today demanded the withdrawal of an FIR against a journalist over her report on alleged breach of details of more than one billion Aadhaar cards, terming it an attack on the free press.

The Confederation of Newspaper and News Agency Employees' Organisations, in a statement, condemned the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), saying it should highlight errors in the report, if any, instead of taking penal action.

"The action amounts to an attack on the freedom of the press and also denial of access to the press from reporting any news unpalatable to those in authority," it said.

The Delhi Police has registered an FIR on a UIDAI official's complaint over the report in the Tribune newspaper.

A reporter of the newspaper has been booked under the Indian Penal Code sections 419 (punishment for cheating under impersonation), 420 (cheating), 468 (forgery), 471 (using a forged document) and also under sections of the Information Technology Act and the Aadhaar Act.