Republic TV journalist C.G. Shankar was arrested on March 7, 2026, along with video journalist S. Mani, after allegedly entering a restricted area to film an Iranian naval vessel docked at a port in Kochi, a city in the southern state of Kerala.
Security personnel from a paramilitary force that guards the port intercepted and detained the journalists before they were able to record any footage, according to Shankar, who spoke with CPJ by phone following his release.
After questioning them, the personnel handed them over to the Harbor Police, who opened a case against each journalist under the Official Secrets Act, a colonial-era espionage law, as well as sections of the Indian Penal Code related to criminal trespass.
The journalists appeared before the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court-I in Ernakulam on the same day of their arrest and were remanded in custody for 14 days.
On March 10, the journalists’ lawyers filed a fresh bail application arguing that no sensitive footage was recorded and that other media outlets had reported on the ship’s docking.
On March 11, Magistrate Sri. Kannan L. granted bail, noting that the journalists' equipment had been seized and the investigation was sufficiently advanced.
As a condition of their release, the journalists were ordered to appear before the investigating officer every weekend.
A formal charge sheet is expected to be filed in June 2026. If convicted of the espionage-related charge, the journalists face a prison term of between three and 14 years.