The new Income Tax Act of 2025 has raised severe fears that authorities could misuse expanded powers to surveil reporters and reveal confidential sources. By extending these powers into the digital sphere, the law allows authorities to seize devices and sweep up communications based on mere suspicion of concealed income, lacking essential transparency safeguards.

The Bharat Media Association warns that exposing a journalist’s unified stream of sensitive data under the guise of financial probing destroys whistleblower protections. We demand strict legal proportionality to protect investigative reporting.