New Delhi: Former bureaucrat Ashish Joshi has moved the Patiala House Court seeking a copy of the FIR registered against him in connection with his social media activity, days after he was questioned by the Delhi Police Special Cell for nearly nine hours.
Joshi was questioned on September 2 after Special Cell officials approached him near Nehru Park while he was returning from his morning walk. According to his court application, he was taken for questioning and told that he had been named as an accused, but was not provided a copy of the FIR.
Chief Judicial Magistrate Mridul Gupta is scheduled to hear his application.
Joshi Seeks FIR Copy
According to his application, Joshi was approached around 8:45 am on September 2 by two people who identified themselves as Special Cell officials. He said they asked him to accompany them for questioning over an alleged post from his X account.
Joshi claims he cooperated and accompanied the officials to the Special Cell facility, where he was questioned from around 9 am to 7 pm.
He has alleged that he repeatedly requested a copy of the FIR during the questioning but did not receive it. He later submitted representations to the Delhi Police Commissioner and the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Special Cell, on September 3, seeking the document.
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FIR Linked to Social Media Activity
Delhi Police sources have said that the Special Cell’s Counter Intelligence unit registered a case against Joshi under Section 192 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), relating to provocation with the intent or knowledge that it is likely to cause a riot.
The questioning was linked to posts made from Joshi’s social media account. Joshi, however, has argued in his plea that he is unaware of the precise allegations against him because he has not been provided the FIR.
Joshi Raises Legal Rights
In his application, Joshi has argued that a person named in an FIR, or one who has reasonable grounds to believe that they have been named, has a legal right to obtain a copy.
He has claimed that continued denial of the FIR has left him unable to understand the allegations and seek appropriate legal remedies.
Joshi has also alleged that his family was not informed about his whereabouts during the questioning, causing anxiety and distress. These are allegations made in his court plea and have not been adjudicated by the court.
Why the Case Matters
The plea puts the focus on procedural safeguards surrounding police questioning and access to an FIR. The court’s consideration will determine how Joshi’s request is dealt with in the present case.
The matter also comes amid growing scrutiny of social media-related police cases, particularly where public figures or former officials face questioning over online posts.
Who Is Ashish Joshi?
Ashish Joshi is a retired 1992-batch Indian Posts and Telecommunications Accounts and Finance Service (IP&TAFS) officer who served in the Department of Telecommunications (DoT). He retired in March 2026 at the rank of Additional Secretary.
He held several senior positions in the DoT, including Controller of Communications in Uttarakhand.
Joshi holds a Master of Management Studies (Public Policy) from IIM Bangalore. Official service records also list qualifications including M.Phil. in Public Administration, M.A. in History and M.A. in Public Administration.
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