A Hyderabad court on Monday, March 17, granted bail to the two journalists who were arrested last week for allegedly circulating defamatory content against Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy.
The Nampally Criminal Court granted bail to Pogadadanda Revathi, managing director of Pulse Digital News Network, and Thanvi Yadav, a reporter, on a personal bond of Rs 25,000 each.
The court directed them to appear before police twice a week.
Revathi was arrested for posting a video on ‘X’ showing an elderly farmer making derogatory and abusive remarks against the Chief Minister.
On a complaint by Congress social media cell state secretary, Hyderabad Cybercrime Police booked Pogadadanda Revathi and Thanvi Yadav along with the person behind the ’X’ handle ‘NippuKodi’
They were booked under section 67 (publication or transmission of obscene material in electronic form) of the Information Technology Act and sections 111 (organised crime), 61(2) (criminal conspiracy), 353(2) (spreading false information or rumors that incite hatred or ill will between groups), 352 (intentionally insulting someone to provoke a breach of peace) of Bharat Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). However, the organised crime charges were struck down by the court in a previous hearing on March 12.
Earlier in the day, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president KT Rama Rao and other leaders called on the journalists in Chanchalgunda Jail.
Talking to media persons after coming out of jail, KTR asked if sending women to jail on false cases is the ‘Indiramma Rajyam’ promised by Congress.
The BRS leader remarked that some people were using language that the Chief Minister could easily understand to criticise him, alluding to the abusive language spoken in the video.
KTR accused the state government of trying to silence journalists by sending them to jail.
The BRS leader slammed Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy for the language used by him while speaking in the Assembly on March 15 to threaten journalists. The CM had said he would “strip” and “parade” those who use abusive language against his family in the name of political criticism.
The two women journalists were arrested on March 12 and the same day, a court sent them to judicial custody. However, while remanding the accused to judicial custody, additional chief judicial magistrate G Anusha ruled that invoking section 111 of BNS (organised crime) against them was unjustified and struck it down.
However, the court maintained other charges under the Information Technology Act and BNS provisions related to creating and circulating false information, stating that the FIR prima facie contained well-founded accusations.
Revathi's lawyer Jakkula Laxman alleged that the women were arrested in haste due to political pressure. He also argued that section 111 was grossly disproportionate.
He submitted to the court that all the other sections invoked carry a maximum punishment of less than seven years and hence immediate arrest was not warranted.
