UAPA notice on ‘TeluguScribe’ sparks free speech row in Telangana

The Telangana government’s move to invoke UAPA against digital platform TeluguScribe has sparked backlash, with rights groups and the outlet calling it misuse of anti-terror laws and a threat to free speech and press freedom

Hyderabad: Triggering sharp criticism against alleged misuse of anti-terror against digital media, the Congress government invoked provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) against digital media platform “TeluguScribe.” DIG (Intelligence) R Bhaskaran issued a notice to social media platform X Corp on April 18, in this regard.

In the notice, the police sought account details, usage logs and related data of the handle “TeluguScribe” from X Corp. The notice cited provisions under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and Section 43F of the UAPA, alleging the account was spreading derogatory content, morphed media and material capable of inciting unrest.

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The move has drawn strong backlash. TeluguScribe termed the action a blatant abuse of power, asserting that it is a legitimate news platform and “not terrorists”. It alleged that nearly 70 cases have been filed against it over the past two-and-a-half years, accusing the Congress government led by Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy of attempting to silence critical voices.

TeluguScribe stated that invoking UAPA which was meant to address threats to national security, against a media handle amounted to intimidation and an attack on free speech. It asserted that all its content was in the public domain and denied all allegations.

“We condemn this sinister attempt to silence TeluguScribe by invoking draconian laws. We will continue this fight to safeguard TeluguScribe, the people’s voice in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. We will continue to question elected governments on behalf of the people,” the media outlet posted on X.

Extending support, the Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF) also condemned the action, calling it an ex-facie illegal abuse of anti-terror law. IFF which is an advocacy organisation, is part of the Save The Internet movement fighting for civil liberties in the digital age. The organisation stated that using UAPA to seek user data of a platform engaged in public interest reporting represented a serious overreach and could have a chilling effect on constitutionally protected speech under Article 19(1)(a).