After the Unique Identification Authority of India filed a case against The Tribune for their article on hacking into the Aadhaar database in 10 minutes. The Tribune responded to the FIR by saying the authorities have misconceived an honest journalistic enterprise.
In a statement, the Editor in Chief at The Tribune Harish Khare explained every story published in their newspaper is responsible journalism. He was quoted saying, “We regret very much that the authorities have misconceived an honest journalistic enterprise and have proceeded to institute criminal proceedings against the whistleblower.”
He further stated The Tribune would explore all legal options, “open to us to defend our freedom to undertake serious investigative journalism.”
The Unique Identification Authority of India Deputy Director B. M. Patnaik explained to the police that input revealed The Tribune purchased a service on Whatsapp. This service sold by anonymous sellers offered unrestricted access to details of any Aadhaar card created in India. On the 5th of January, Patnaik placed a complaint and immediately after the FIR was registered.
The Editor in Chief of The Tribune said, “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 further added, “My colleagues and I are grateful for expressions of support and solidarity from media organizations and journalists. We at The Tribune believe that our stories were in the nature of a legitimate journalistic exercise.”
The Chandigarh Press Club (CPC) condemned the UIDAI for lodging a case against The Tribune reporter over the Aadhaar data breach story. The Secretary General of CPC Barinder Singh Rawat said, “Instead of taking action against people, who were involved in the data breach, the Government Agency preferred to lodge a case against the reporter, who exposed the loopholes in the system.” He further added, “In an act of ‘shoot the messenger’, the UIDAI had filed a case against the reporter of The Tribune for an article on how anonymous users accessed Aadhaar details and sold it for a fee.”
The CPC also plans to hold a protest at the club premises to protest the UIDAI’s FIR.
