Andhra Pradesh High Court has granted two weeks of interim protection from arrest to Sajjala Bhargava Reddy in multiple social media defamation cases. The ruling came on Monday, December 16.
Sajjala Bhargava Reddy, who heads YSR Congress Party’s social media wing, faces nine cases for allegedly posting defamatory content against Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and his family. He is the son of YSRCP leader number two in command Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy.
Justice B.V.L.N. Chakravarthi issued the protection order and asked the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to submit their response. The court will hear Reddy’s petitions to dismiss the FIRs in the coming weeks.
Earlier this month, Sajjala Bhargava Reddy approached the Supreme Court for relief. While the Supreme Court declined to intervene directly, it granted him two weeks’ protection to seek help from the High Court under Article 226.
The CID has charged Sajjala Bhargava Reddy for running a negative campaign against Nara Chandrababu Naidu, who was Opposition Leader at the time. The Supreme Court noted that the High Court was the proper forum for challenging these criminal charges.
