Hyderabad, March 17 A court here on Monday granted bail to two women journalists who were arrested last week for allegedly circulating defamatory content against Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy.
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 had allegedly posted a video on ‘X’ showing an elderly farmer making certain 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 Bandi Sandhya alias Thanvi Yadav along with ’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).
Earlier in the day, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president K. T. Rama Rao and other leaders called on the women journalists in Chanchalgunda Jail.
Talking to media persons after coming out of jail, Rama Rao said that the Congress rule in Telangana is reminding of emergency days.
He asked if sending women to jail on false cases is Indiramma Rajyam. He claimed that people were openly speaking against the government for betraying them with false promises.
The BRS leader remarked that some people were using the language which the Chief Minister can easily understand.
KTR said while people were questioning the government, it was 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 Assembly on March 15 to threaten journalists.
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 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.
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