Supreme Court Slams Illegal Arrest of Kommineni

Tadepalli, June 13: The Supreme Court has delivered a landmark verdict safeguarding freedom of the press in Andhra Pradesh, condemning the illegal arrest of senior journalist Kommineni Srinivasa Rao, said YSRCP Legal Cell President M. Manohar Reddy.
Addressing media at the Party Central Office here on Friday, alongside Legal Cell leaders J. Sudarshan Reddy and Srinivas Reddy, he asserted that the ruling exposes the malicious intent of the coalition government led by Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu. The government’s vindictive actions, including fabricating cases against Kommineni to suppress media voices, have been decisively struck down by the judiciary, reinforcing the democratic right to free expression.
Manohar Reddy revealed that the coalition government orchestrated a deliberate conspiracy to falsely implicate Kommineni, a respected anchor, by attributing a panellist’s remarks during a Sakshi TV debate to the media house. Despite Kommineni explicitly cautioning against the remarks, the government arrested the 70-year-old journalist, flouting Supreme Court guidelines and bypassing mandatory Section 41A notice procedures.
This arrest was a calculated move to detain him indefinitely, with police even filing a custody petition to prolong his incarceration. The Supreme Court, however, intervened, ruling that Kommineni committed no offence as a mere anchor and that his arrest violated press freedom, ordering his immediate release. “This verdict is a direct rebuke to the coalition government’s attempts to stifle dissent and intimidate the media,” Reddy stated.
The YSRCP Legal Cell President further condemned the coalition government for inciting TDP leaders and workers to attack Sakshi Media offices, including stone-pelting and violent assaults, as part of a broader strategy to escalate the controversy. He highlighted that TDP leaders and ministers engaged in slanderous attacks against YS Jagan and his family, yet no police action was taken against them due to government interference.
“The coalition government’s relentless efforts to silence critics and harass Sakshi Media have been exposed. The judiciary has put a firm check on their conspiracies,” Reddy emphasized. He underscored that the Supreme Court’s ruling not only upholds press freedom but also protects the democratic values cherished by the people of Andhra Pradesh, ensuring that the voices questioning government failures remain unmuted.