Supreme Court Grants Two-Week Protection to YSR Congress Media Head

Vijayawada:The Supreme Court has granted protection to the YSR Congress social media head Sajjala Bhargav Reddy against whom several cases were booked by the state police over his allegedly derogatory posts on social media.

The apex court directed Bhargav Reddy to approach the AP high court for interim relief and stayed his arrest for two weeks.

A two-judge division bench of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjwal Bhuyan held a hearing on a writ petition filed by Bhargav Reddy in New Delhi on Monday.

Bhargav Reddy in his writ petition challenged sections 111 and 113 of BNS and claimed that the ruling TD-led alliance government was misusing these provisions against YSR Congress activists, to “stifle dissent.”

Petitioner’s counsel Kapil Sibal said that 147 FIRs were lodged against his client within a week, based on the confessional statements of the co-accused persons.

Justice Surya Kant suggested that the petitioner should approach the high court for interim relief and the apex court will request the HC to hear it expeditiously.

However, AP’s counsel Siddhartha Luthra opposed this and argued that the petitioner was already protected by an interim order and that the allegations against him were serious.

The court observed that the petition would be disposed of without any observations on its merits, and that the AP high court would hear both sides before passing an order.

It noted that the petitioner was apprehensive of his immediate arrest. “The arrest should be stayed for two weeks to enable him to approach the high court,” the division bench ordered.