Hyderabad- In a setback for Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, a Hyderabad court on Monday dropped the ‘organised crime’ charge against two journalists arrested for allegedly posting and amplifying abusive content against the Chief Minister.
The court ruled that the charge was invalid as “no monetary transactions” were involved.
The journalists, Pogadadanda Revathi, Managing Director of Pulse News, and Thanvi Yadav, a reporter for the same channel, were arrested by the Hyderabad Police’s Cyber Crime division last week. A third individual, the user behind an X account titled ‘NippuKodi,’ was also detained. The arrests followed a complaint from the Congress’ state social media unit chief, alleging that a video posted by the trio contained “derogatory” remarks against the Chief Minister, with the potential to incite violence.
The accused face other charges, including spreading rumours to provoke unrest.
Reacting to the incident, CM Reddy warned of strict action against what he termed “defamatory propaganda under the guise of journalism.” “We will act strictly according to the law and will not exceed any limits,” he said.
The arrests sparked backlash from the opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), with KT Rama Rao accusing the Congress government of being intolerant of criticism. “It feels like a state of Emergency has returned in Telangana,” he remarked, condemning what he called “Emergency-style rule” and a clampdown on press freedom.
The case has reignited debates over media freedom and political intolerance in the state. Investigations into the other charges are ongoing.
The post Telangana Court Drops ‘Organised Crime’ Charge Against Journalists in CM Defamation Case appeared first on Global Governance News- Asia's First Bilingual News portal for Global News and Updates.
