The Supreme Court granted interim protection from arrest to YSR Congress Party’s Sajjala Bhargava Reddy for two weeks amidst multiple FIRs against him. Reddy, accused under Section 111 of the BNS for orchestrating offensive social media posts, claims misuse of the law to suppress dissent. The Andhra Pradesh High Court will further address his legal challenges.
New Delhi: In a significant move, the Supreme Court on Monday (Dec 2nd) granted YSR Congress Party’s social media head, Sajjala Bhargava Reddy, interim protection from arrest for two weeks. This reprieve allows him to approach the Andhra Pradesh High Court for bail amid a series of FIRs registered against him. The bench, comprising Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan, observed that the interim protection was akin to “first aid while the state government was raining FIRs” on him.
Reddy is facing allegations under Section 111 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), a provision intended to curb organised crime. He challenged the filing of six cases against him, with four additional FIRs lodged just last week. Reddy’s legal team, led by senior advocates Kapil Sibal and Siddharth Dave, argued that the law was being misused to stifle dissent.
The court, while shielding Reddy from arrest, declined to quash the FIRs, emphasizing that it would not bypass the high courts. The bench directed,
“We direct the arrest of the petitioner shall remain stayed for a period of two weeks to enable him to approach the high court.”
During the hearing, the bench made a notable remark, stating,
“You (state) are raining FIRs on him. We are only trying to hire him an autorickshaw to reach AIIMS so that he can get there, see a doctor and get first aid.”
In response, senior advocate Siddharth Luthra, representing the state, quipped, “You are letting him on fast track by putting him on a Concorde.”
The Andhra Pradesh government defended its actions, citing “concrete material” that allegedly tied Reddy to objectionable and obscene social media posts targeting Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and his family. Reddy, who became YSRCP’s social media head in 2022, is accused of orchestrating these posts.
Luthra argued that the allegations constitute a “continuing offence”, justifying the imposition of Section 111 of the BNS. However, Reddy’s legal team countered, stating the provision was being misapplied to “cripple dissent in Andhra Pradesh.”
Over the past month, the Andhra Pradesh police have filed more than 100 cases related to offensive posts about family members of Naidu and Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan. Several arrests have been made as part of the crackdown.
The Supreme Court’s interim relief underscores the tension between dissent and defamation in the digital age, as the Andhra Pradesh High Court now takes up the matter to decide on Reddy’s legal protection and the broader implications of the FIRs.
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