Telangana HC verdict on illegal cases a warning to Congress govt: BRS

BRS leaders welcomed the Telangana High Court verdict, calling it a warning to the Congress government against misuse of police powers. They alleged nearly 5,000 cases were filed against social media activists and vowed to continue resisting attempts to suppress dissent

Hyderabad: Hyderabad: BRS leaders said the Telangana High Court verdict served as a warning to the Congress government, which was misusing the police to muzzle dissent on social media, especially the opposition, for merely highlighting people’s issues and the government’s failures.

Addressing the media at Telangana Bhavan on Thursday, BRS leader Y Satish Reddy said BRS social media activists were being booked in illegal cases for merely reposting content critical of the government. He cited the case of Shashidhar Goud alias Nalla Balu, who was jailed for 20 days, tortured and re-arrested immediately after securing bail in a similar case. “The High Court’s verdict in his case is a resounding slap on the Revanth Reddy government,” he said, adding that nearly 5,000 cases had been filed against BRS social media volunteers so far.

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He said the police were filing cases not on the basis of complaints from Congress leaders, but on the grounds that the morale of the police was hurt. He argued that law enforcement, paid by the public, must serve citizens and not act as political agents.

BRS Legal Cell member Lalitha Reddy hailed the High Court judgment as a landmark, noting that it cautioned officials against acting on frivolous or politically motivated complaints. “The verdict is clear, if cases are filed to curtail individual rights, they must be dismissed,” Lalitha said.

BRS leader Putta Vishnuvardhan Reddy warned that the government’s attempt to stifle voices online would backfire. He drew a parallel with Nepal, where a government collapsed after trying to suppress social media. He vowed that the party would continue supporting its activists. “Repression will not silence Telangana’s voice,” he said, accusing the Congress of using illegal cases as a smokescreen to hide its failures.