The Tribune refuses to cower down before UIDAI red eyes

Amid widespread condemnation of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) for filing an FIR against The Tribune and its reporter over a story which exposed how personal data associated with Aadhaar numbers was being sold by anonymous sellers over WhatsApp for Rs 500, the editor-in-chief of the daily has said that all legal options were open with the newspaper to defend “our freedom to undertake serious investigative journalism.”

But on the other side, UIDAI has reinforced its position stating that the FIR is against the crime newspaper and its Jalandhar-based reporter Rachna Khaira committed under cover.

“We at The Tribune believe that our stories were in the nature of a legitimate journalistic exercise. Our stories are in the best traditions of responsible journalism. Our story was in response to a very genuine concern among the citizens on a matter of great public interest,” Harish Khare, editor-in-chief, The Tribune said, regretting that the authorities had “misconceived an honest journalistic enterprise and have proceeded to institute criminal proceedings against the whistleblower.”

Support continues to pour in for the newspaper and its reporter. From Opposition parties to media organisations, from journalists and activists to conscientious citizens from different walks of life, people have accused the BJP-led NDA government of having "dictatorial" tendencies. On twitter, an old tweet of CM Narendra Modi in which he had raised security concerns over Aadhaar is being widely shared.

The Editor’s Guild of India, The Press Club of India, Indian Women's Press Corps and Press Association issued separate statements condemning the action as an attack on free press. In a statement issued on Sunday, the Editor’s Guild called the FIR an “attempt to browbeat” the reporter. “The Guild condemns UIDAI’s action to have the Tribune reporter booked by the police as it is clearly meant to browbeat a journalist whose investigation on the matter was of great public interest. It is unfair, unjustified and a direct attack on the freedom of the press. Instead of penalising the reporter, UIDAI should have ordered a thorough internal investigation into the alleged breach and made its findings public,” the statement said, asking the Union Ministry to have cases against the reporter withdrawn and conduct an “impartial investigation” into the incident.

A joint statement by the Press Club of India, Indian Women's Press Corps and Press Association said the UIDAI’s FIR was “reflective of its misplaced priorities”.

“This move runs counter to the UIDAI's claim that "the Aadhaar data including biometric information is fully safe and secure". If there is no breach, what is the offence they have supposed to have committed?”

“The UIDAI filing criminal complaints against the reporter and her sources is clearly reflective of its misplaced priorities,” the statement said, adding that the actions were “intimidatory, obstructionist and inimical” to free, fair and independent journalism, and demanded withdrawal of criminal charges.

Earlier, the UIDAI in a press statement said: “In the case of The Tribune's report in which an FIR is filed, an impression is being created in media that UIDAI is targeting the media or whistleblowers or ‘shooting the messenger’. This is not at all true. This is a case in which even though there was no breach of Aadhaar biometric database, because UIDAI takes every criminal violation seriously, it is for the act of unauthorised access, criminal proceedings have been initiated.”

“UIDAI respects free speech, including the Freedom of Press and Media. It has to be understood that whenever a crime is noticed, the person concerned is required to report in the form of FIR to police in which the entire details of the crime and the incident have to be disclosed to the police,” it said and added, “The full details of the incident as available needs to be provided with the names of persons known or unknown connected with the incident in the FIR complaint so that police or the investigating agency can take up a full and fair investigation and bring the culprits to justice. It does not necessarily mean that everyone mentioned in the FIR is a culprit unless after a thorough and fair investigation the person is charge-sheeted and proved to be guilty beyond doubt in the court of law.”

While the Congress on Sunday accused the NDA government of destroying the Aadhaar programme and called the FIR against The Tribune and its reporter "unfortunate", the left parties have also lamented the action against the journalist. Curiously, the ruling BJP has described the report in question as “fake”.