The granting of bail to senior journalist and popular Sakshi television anchor Kommineni Srinivasa Rao by the Supreme Court on Friday is being seen as a setback for the Chandrababu Naidu government in Andhra Pradesh.
Although the Supreme Court bench, comprising Justices PK Mishra and Manmohan, observed that Kommineni should have objected when guest V V R Krishnam Raju made derogatory comments against Amaravati women, it accepted the argument that Kommineni himself had not made any such remarks but had merely laughed at the guest’s comments.
Clearly, the legal sections under which the case was filed against Kommineni were not applicable to him, but the government chose to implicate him in an attempt to target Sakshi TV and indirectly its promoter, Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy.
A legal expert who had been following the case stated at the time of Kommineni’s arrest that the case would not hold up in court, as there was no prima facie evidence that Kommineni had encouraged Krishnam Raju to make the offensive remark referring to Amaravati as the “capital of prostitutes.”
The Supreme Court bench also ruled on technical grounds, rather than on the purpose of the debate itself.
The bench stated that Kommineni was not responsible for the statements made by one of the participants and that his freedom of speech must be protected.
“The police were well aware that Kommineni would easily secure bail, as the charges against him were not applicable. Therefore, his release just days after his arrest has brought embarrassment to the Naidu government,” sources said.
