Supreme Court grants bail to Andhra Pradesh journalist in offensive remarks case

The Supreme Court granted bail to journalist Kommineni Srinivasa Rao, arrested for remarks made by a guest on his TV show. The court said his arrest violated his freedom of speech and journalistic rights, and ordered his release with conditions

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday granted bail to senior journalist Kommineni Srinivasa Rao, whom the Andhra Pradesh Police arrested for allegedly making disparaging remarks against greenfield capital city Amaravati on his live show.

The top court passed the order on Rao’s plea challenging his arrest. A partial working day bench of Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and Manmohan directed the release of 70-year-old Rao, who was arrested on June 9, noting that he did not make the statement on his show and it was one of the panellists who made the alleged derogatory remarks.

---

Questioning the Andhra Pradesh government over the arrest, the bench said it was necessary that Rao’s journalistic rights and his fundamental right to freedom of speech were protected.

“The petitioner himself did not make the statement on the live TV show and his journalistic rights need to be protected so that his freedom of speech is also protected. We direct that the petitioner be released in the FIR subject to conditions imposed by the trial court,” the bench ordered.

The bench, however, asked Rao not to make any derogatory statements on his show or allow anyone else to make the same. The Andhra Pradesh Police on Monday arrested Rao from Hyderabad for hosting a programme, where alleged disparaging remarks against greenfield capital city of Amaravati were made. The comments were made by one of the panellists on a TV show hosted by Rao on June 6.