Yesterday, On 9th December, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy filed a Rs.100 crore defamation suit, naming several media outlets for allegedly publishing false and defamatory content against him. The Delhi High Court has taken cognizance of the matter and issued summons to the concerned parties. The case highlights the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister’s stance against misleading media reports. The legal battle underscores the importance of accountability in journalism.
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court issued summons in a civil defamation case on Monday filed by former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy against several media outlets.
The lawsuit concerns articles that allegedly connected Reddy to the indictment proceedings involving the Adani Group in the United States. Reddy is seeking damages of Rs.100 crore and an injunction in the case.
The suit names multiple media organizations and Google, accusing them of enabling the spread of defamatory and scandalous content against the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) Chief.
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Justice Subramonium Prasad, after hearing submissions from Senior Advocate Dayan Krishnan representing Reddy, issued a notice for the removal of the contested articles. The court specified that any publications made after the order would be considered published with notice of the suit and could face consequences.
Reddy is also requesting an injunction to prevent further publication of the content, the immediate removal of the articles, tweets, and retweets, and an unconditional apology.
The next hearing scheduled for December 16, where the court will consider granting interim relief.
Reddy’s suit asserts that the defendants made “false, derogatory, scandalous, illegal and defamatory statements” against him. He is described as a prominent politician and public servant with significant support in Andhra Pradesh, having served as Chief Minister from 2019 to 2024, and is currently a member of the Legislative Assembly and president of the YSR Congress Party.
The suit claims media outlets have deliberately disseminated false and defamatory statements with the intent to tarnish his reputation.
It states,
“The defamatory insinuations made by the Defendants against the Plaintiff inter alia of receiving bribes, extending favours or misusing his position as the chief minister are completely false and have been made with the sole intent of lowering his reputation.”