YSR Congress Party’s General Secretary (Media), Pudi Srihari, has been arrested once more for allegedly posting abusive content on social media targeting Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu. He was apprehended by police in Bengaluru and is being taken to Kuppam town for further proceedings.
This arrest follows the Supreme Court’s decision not to interfere with the Andhra Pradesh High Court’s order, which had suspended a previous rejection of remand by a trial court. Srihari, who previously served as Chief Public Relations Officer to Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, had approached the Supreme Court fearing arrest after the High Court’s suspension of the trial court’s remand rejection.
On April 15, Srihari was arrested in Vijayawada for allegedly sharing objectionable social media posts containing manipulated images of Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu. He was later transferred to Kuppam, where the case against him and another YSRCP member, Girish Kumar Reddy, was registered.
Despite being produced before the trial court on April 16 and subsequently released following the rejection of police remand requests, the High Court intervened by suspending the trial court’s order. The case was set for further hearing in the High Court, prompting Srihari to seek Supreme Court intervention, which was declined.
During the legal proceedings, Srihari denied involvement in creating, sharing, or forwarding the contentious content. He emphasized his extensive experience as a senior journalist for over 25 years, asserting his commitment to operating within legal boundaries even in his political role.
