In a major setback for the Chandrababu Naidu government in Andhra Pradesh, the Supreme Court on Friday granted bail to senior journalist and popular Sakshi television anchor Kommineni Srinivasa Rao. The move is being widely interpreted as a slap on the face of the state administration, which had arrested Rao on charges of criminal defamation and under the controversial Section 66A of the Information Technology Act.
Rao’s arrest in November 2018 had sparked widespread condemnation from media organizations, civil society groups, and opposition parties, who accused the Naidu government of stifling press freedom and silencing critical voices. The journalist had been vocal in his criticism of the state government’s policies and had reportedly aired several stories that were unfavorable to the ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP).
In its order, the Supreme Court observed that the charges against Rao were “prima facie not sustainable” and that the state government had failed to provide any substantial evidence to justify his continued detention. The court also noted that the journalist’s fundamental right to free speech had been violated, and that the state’s actions amounted to an “abuse of the process of law.”
The decision to grant Rao bail has been hailed as a victory for press freedom and a rebuke of the Naidu government’s heavy-handed approach towards media critics. Opposition parties, including the YSR Congress Party and the Telangana Rashtra Samithi, have seized on the opportunity to criticize the TDP’s “authoritarian” tendencies and its alleged attempts to stifle dissent.
Legal experts and media commentators have argued that the Supreme Court’s ruling sets an important precedent and sends a clear message to state governments that they cannot arbitrarily use criminal laws to target journalists and suppress critical coverage. The case has also reignited the debate around the need to reform India’s outdated defamation laws and to ensure greater protection for press freedom.
The Naidu government, on the other hand, has remained largely silent on the issue, with officials maintaining that the state had acted within the bounds of the law. However, the bail granted to Rao is likely to further undermine the TDP’s credibility and its claims of upholding democratic values in the run-up to the upcoming Lok Sabha and state assembly elections.
