Telangana BJP has approached the Supreme Court to challenge the high court’s dismissal of a defamation case against Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy over his 2024 Lok Sabha election remarks. The hearing is scheduled for September 8.
The Telangana unit of the BJP approached the Supreme Court to contest a high court ruling that dismissed a defamation case against Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy regarding his remarks during the 2024 Lok Sabha election campaign.
The matter is scheduled for a hearing on September 8 before a bench comprising Chief Justice B. R. Gavai and Justices K. Vinod Chandran and Atul S. Chandurkar.
Earlier, On August 1, the Telangana High Court acted on Reddy’s request to quash the proceedings in the case that was pending in a Hyderabad trial court.
The BJP’s Telangana unit, represented by its general secretary, filed a complaint in May 2024, accusing Reddy of making defamatory and provocative statements about the party on May 4 of the previous year.
The complaint alleged that Reddy colluded with the Telangana Congress Party to fabricate a misleading political narrative suggesting that the BJP would eliminate reservations if it came to power. The complainant claimed that the alleged defamatory remarks tarnished the BJP’s reputation as a political entity.
In August of the previous year, a trial court stated that there was a prima facie case against Reddy for the alleged defamation under the former IPC and under Section 125 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, which addresses the promotion of enmity between classes in electoral contexts.
Challenging the trial court’s ruling, Reddy appealed to the high court, arguing that the allegations in the complaint did not establish a prima facie case against him. He contended that political speeches should not be subject to defamation claims.
The high court noted,
“Even if this court were to accept that the complainant is a part of the national unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party and may be treated as a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party, the complaint is not maintainable for the lack of authorisation.”
The court further stated that neither the complainant nor its representative had the authorization from the national BJP unit to file the complaint. It concurred with Reddy’s argument that the threshold for alleging defamation in the context of political speeches should be significantly higher.
The high court stated,
“Political speeches are often exaggerated. To allege that such speeches are defamatory is another exaggeration.”
Consequently, the court granted Reddy’s request, quashing the trial court’s order and the related proceedings.