The Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to intervene in the high court order that suspended the trial court's decision to reject the remand of Pudi Srihari, YSRCP general secretary and former chief public relations officer to the chief minister, in a case involving abusive social media posts.
Background of the Case
Srihari approached the Supreme Court fearing arrest after the Andhra Pradesh High Court suspended the trial court's order that had refused to send him to judicial remand. He was arrested earlier for making objectionable social media posts featuring morphed images of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and was released after the trial court rejected the remand application.
Arguments by Srihari's Counsel
Senior counsel S Niranjan Reddy, representing Srihari, argued that the high court failed to consider discrepancies in the police case. He claimed that the police did not follow proper procedures and fabricated a story that Srihari refused to accept a notice under Section 35(3) of the BNSS. Reddy pointed out that the remand report contained false evidence, with mismatched timings for serving notices and the arrest. He sought interim protection from arrest until the high court decides the matter.
State Government's Response
Senior counsel Mukul Rohatgi, arguing for the state government, stated that the high court is scheduled to hear the case on Wednesday and that no interim order is necessary.
Supreme Court's Decision
The bench of Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra and Justice N V Anjaria observed that they were not inclined to interfere with the high court order, given the upcoming hearing. However, they issued notices to the respondents and scheduled the matter for further hearing during the summer vacation.
This development comes as the legal battle continues over the controversial social media posts that allegedly targeted the chief minister.
