The Supreme Court Monday restrained Andhra Pradesh police from taking any coercive action against two Telgu news channels -- TV5 and ABN Andhrajyothi for alleged sedition in showing 'offensive' speeches of YSR rebel MP K Raghu Rama Krishna Raju.
A special bench headed by Justive D Y Cyhandrachud sought the response of the state government within four weeks on the pleas of the channels which are charged for various offences including the harsh penal offence of sedition.
The bench, also comprising justices L Nageswara Rao and S Ravindra Bhat, also made clear that there shall be no coercive action against the the employees or the staffers of the news channels in connection the same FIR.
"We are of the view that provisions of 124A (sedition) and 153 (promoting enmity between classes) of the IPC require interpretation, particularly on the issue of the rights of press and free speech", the court said.
It was alleged that the FIRs were registered against the channels for publishing the press statements of Raju.
The top court had earlier granted bail to the lawmaker in connection with the same case.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Dear Reader,
Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance.
We, however, have a request.
As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed.
Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard.
Digital Editor
RECOMMENDED FOR YOU