A court in Guntur has granted bail to Pudi Srihari, an aide of former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, in a case involving an allegedly abusive social media post against Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu. Srihari, who serves as the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) General Secretary (Media Department), faced re-arrest shortly after being granted bail by a court in Kuppam town. This marks the third time Srihari has been arrested within two weeks.
Following his initial bail, Srihari was arrested by a team from Kothapeta in Guntur district in Kuppam and taken to Kothapeta police station, where a new FIR was filed against him on the same charges. The YSRCP strongly criticized the police action, accusing the Telugu Desam Party (TDP)-led coalition government of engaging in political vendetta. Srihari, who is also a journalist, denounced the government’s treatment of journalism as an ‘organised crime.’
Addressing the media at the YSRCP office in Guntur, Srihari expressed dismay over the repeated arrests and cases against him, despite his unblemished 26-year career in journalism. YSRCP General Secretary (Legal) Ponnavolu Sudhakar Reddy characterized the situation as a clash between constitutional values and the misuse of power, questioning the legality of multiple arrests for the same alleged offense. Srihari’s arrests have been met with court interventions against what has been deemed unconstitutional actions.
