Amaravati, May 2: A Guntur court granted bail on Friday to Pudi Srihari, an associate of former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, in connection with a case involving allegedly defamatory social media posts against Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu.
Srihari, who serves as the media secretary of the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) and was previously the chief public relations officer for Jagan Mohan Reddy, was re-arrested late Thursday night, just hours after receiving bail from a court in Kuppam.
A team from Kothapeta in Guntur district apprehended him in Kuppam and took him to the Kothapeta police station, where a separate FIR was lodged against him on similar charges. This marks the third time Srihari has been arrested in two weeks.
The YSRCP condemned the police action, accusing the Telugu Desam Party (TDP)-led coalition government of acting with political vengeance. Tension escalated at the government hospital in Guntur when police prevented YSRCP MLC Lella Appireddy from meeting Srihari, who was brought in for a medical examination before being presented in court.
The Guntur court later granted bail to Srihari, who is also a journalist. He alleged that the TDP-led coalition government views journalism as an “organized crime.” Srihari stated that he had never stepped into a police station or court but had been arrested multiple times within two weeks. He expressed confidence, asserting he had done nothing wrong.
Addressing the media alongside YSRCP leaders at the party office in Guntur, Srihari voiced his deep concern over the repeated arrests and cases filed against him in the past two weeks. He highlighted the troubling treatment he has received despite a spotless 26-year career in journalism.
He criticized the portrayal of media coordination work as that of a “criminal gang,” calling it alarming and dangerous for democratic systems.
YSRCP General Secretary Ponnavolu Sudhakar Reddy described the incident as a struggle between constitutional values and the abuse of power, questioning how an individual could be repeatedly arrested for the same alleged offense. He noted that courts have repeatedly rejected police requests for remand and intervened against unconstitutional actions.
Srihari was first arrested on April 15 in Vijayawada, with charges stemming from social media posts featuring morphed images of Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu. He was subsequently taken to Kuppam, where another case was filed against him and another YSRCP official, Girish Kumar Reddy.
On April 16, he was presented before the trial court, which denied the police’s request for judicial remand, leading to his release. However, the Andhra Pradesh High Court later stayed this order. When the Supreme Court declined to intervene in the High Court’s ruling, Kuppam police re-arrested Srihari in Bengaluru on April 29, bringing him back to Kuppam for a court appearance on April 30.
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P.S.K.
My name is Kuldeep Singh Chundawat. I am an experienced content writer with several years of expertise in the field. Currently, I contribute to Daily Kiran, creating engaging and informative content across a variety of categories including technology, health, travel, education, and automobiles. My goal is to deliver accurate, insightful, and captivating information through my words to help readers stay informed and empowered.
