On Friday, June 13, 2025, the Supreme Court of India granted bail to senior journalist Kommineni Srinivasa Rao and ordered his immediate release.
Here are the key details of the case and the Supreme Court’s decision:
- Arrest and Charges: Kommineni Srinivasa Rao, a 70-year-old senior journalist and anchor of the “Live with KSR” show on Sakshi TV, was arrested by the Andhra Pradesh Police on June 9, 2025, from his Hyderabad residence. He was arrested in connection with alleged disparaging remarks made against the greenfield capital city of Amaravati, specifically remarks about women from the region. The comments were made by a panellist, VV Krishnam Raju (who was named A-1), during a live TV show hosted by Rao on June 6, 2025. Rao was named A-2 in the case.
- FIR Details: The complaint was filed by Kambampati Sireesha, a Dalit leader of the Amaravati Capital Farmers’ Joint Action Committee. The police booked Rao, Raju, and Sakshi TV management under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Information Technology Act, and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
- Supreme Court’s Observations: A partial working day bench of Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and Manmohan heard Rao’s plea challenging his arrest. The Court noted that:
- Rao himself did not make the alleged derogatory statement on the live TV show; it was made by one of the panellists.
- It is “necessary that Rao’s journalistic rights and his fundamental right to freedom of speech were protected.”
- Regarding the state’s argument that Rao was “goading and abetting” by laughing at the comment, Justice Manmohan reportedly remarked, “When someone makes an outrageous statement, we just laugh it off. They can’t be termed as co-conspirators.” Justice Mishra concurred, adding, “Everyday this is happening.”
- Order for Release: The Supreme Court directed Rao’s immediate release in the FIR, subject to conditions to be imposed by the trial court.
- Conditions for Bail: The bench clarified that Rao “shall not involve himself in any defamatory statement either by himself or by allowing others to make such statements in his presence in the show which the petitioner is anchoring or hosting.”
- Context: The arrest and subsequent Supreme Court intervention have sparked political reactions, with YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) chief Jagan Mohan Reddy slamming Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu for alleged media suppression, linking it to scrutiny over “massive corruption in the name of Amaravati.”