Supreme Court Upholds Journalist's Rights in Defamation Arrest

In a significant ruling, the Supreme Court on Friday granted bail to journalist Kommineni Srinivas Rao, who faced arrest by Andhra Pradesh Police over alleged defamatory remarks made by a guest on a TV show he moderated. The court determined that Rao himself did not make any defamatory statements, thus safeguarding his role in journalism.

During a broadcast on Sakshi TV, contentious comments were made by a panellist about Amaravati, sparking a formal complaint for being derogatory towards women. The complaint accused Rao of failing to intervene adequately and even laughing during the incident. Senior Advocate Siddharth Dave defended Rao, insisting his client had no part in the panellist's remarks, while Mukul Rohatgi contested this, arguing his laughter indicated complicity.

The Supreme Court, however, reasoned that laughter often follows such controversial statements and reaffirmed the importance of protecting journalistic freedom of speech. The court advised the journalist to refrain from engaging in or enabling defamatory content in the future, balancing free expression with responsible moderation.

(With inputs from agencies.)