The Supreme Court on Friday granted bail to senior
journalist Kommineni Srinivasa Rao, whom the Andhra Pradesh Police arrested for
allegedly making disparaging remarks against greenfield capital city Amaravati
on his live show.
The top court passed the order on Rao's plea
challenging his arrest.
A partial working day bench of Justices Prashant
Kumar Mishra and Manmohan directed the release of 70-year-old Rao, who was
arrested on June 9, noting that he did not make the statement on his show and
it was one of the panellists who made the alleged derogatory remarks.
Questioning the Andhra Pradesh government over the
arrest, the bench said it was necessary that Rao's journalistic rights and his
fundamental right to freedom of speech were protected.
"The petitioner himself did not make the
statement on the live TV show and his journalistic rights need to be protected
so that his freedom of speech is also protected. We direct that the petitioner
be released in the FIR subject to conditions imposed by the trial court,"
the bench ordered.
The bench, however, asked Rao not to make any
derogatory statements on his show or allow anyone else to make the same.
The Andhra Pradesh Police on Monday arrested Rao
from Hyderabad for hosting a programme, where alleged disparaging remarks
against greenfield capital city Amaravati were made.
The comments were made by one of the panellists on a
TV show hosted by Rao on June 6.