Supreme Court: n a writ petition filed by Telugu journalist Kommineni Srinivasa Rao, who was arrested by the Andhra Pradesh Police in connection with offensive remarks made by a panelist during a television show he hosted, the division bench of Prashant Kumar Mishra and Manmohan, JJ. granted him bail. The Court considered that the allegedly defamatory statement was not made by KS Rao himself. Emphasising the significance of protecting journalistic freedom, the bench ruled in favor of granting bail to the accused.
The Court observed that the accused, a senior journalist aged seventy, is the TV anchor of the show “Live with KSR” on Sakshi TV. He was challenging his arrest and remand, arguing that during the episode on 06-06-2025, one of the panelists made a statement that was allegedly defamatory. However, the accused did not make the statement, nor did he object to it, though he was seen laughing. The bench noted that the accused was not involved in the statement made by the panelist.
Considering that the accused did not make any defamatory statement himself, and in recognition of his role as a journalist hosting a live TV show, the Court emphasised the importance of protecting journalistic freedom to safeguard the right to free speech. Therefore, the Court directed the release of the accused in connection with the FIR, subject to any conditions the trial court may impose. However, the Court made it clear that the accused must refrain from making any defamatory statements, either directly or by permitting others to make such statements during the show he is anchoring or hosting.
Source: Press