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Kapil Sibal slams arrest of women journalists in Telangana: ‘Result of contagious disease called intolerance’
Two women journalists in Telangana were arrested for allegedly posting abusive content against the Chief Minister. Kapil Sibal condemns the arrests, calling them a symptom of societal intolerance.
Rajya Sabha (RS) member Kapil Sibal has condemned the ‘arrest’ of two journalists in Congress party-ruled Telangana. The former Congress leader has called the arrest “the result of a contagious disease called intolerance.”
“Telangana: Arrests two journalists for criticising CM for spreading falsehood inciting divisions to disturb law and order. Really?,” Sibal wrote on X.
The two women journalists were arrested by Hyderabad Police's Cyber Crime division on March 12 for posting and amplifying allegedly abusive content against Chief Minister Revanth Reddy.
Telangana is one of the three Congress-ruled states in the country. The other two are Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka.
The two arrested journalists have been identified as Pogadadanda Revathi, the Managing Director of Pulse News, and Thanvi Yadav, a reporter for the same channel. A third individual - the user of an X account titled 'NippuKodi' - has also been detained.
Arrest not the solution
“Arrest is not the solution.It is the result of a contagious disease called: Intolerance!,” Sibal, a senior advocate in the Supreme Court said.
Sibal is a designated senior advocate and is currently the President of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA). He quit Congress in 2022 to contest Rajya Sabha polls with Samajwadi Party (SP) support. He has been Union Minister during UPA regimes.
The duo, who police say were involved in “social media trolling” and implicated in two previous cases, have been remanded in judicial custody for 14 days.
All three journalists were taken into custody after a complaint from the chief of the Congress' state social media unit. They face charges including publishing obscene material to organised crime and criminal conspiracy, spreading rumours to incite hatred, and provoking a breach of peace, the police said.
Arrest is not the solution. It is the result of a contagious disease called: Intolerance!
The video was allegedly shot at Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) headquarters in Hyderabad, they added.
The complainant, a state secretary of the Congress Social Media Cell, had alleged that a video was being circulated on X, where a representative from Pulse News could be seen interviewing an individual, provoking derogatory and abusive statements against Reddy.
BRS condemns the arrests
The opposition BRS, which was in power before the Congress' big win in 2023 assembly polls, condemned the arrests.
"Kya Yahi Hain Aap Ki “Mohabbat Ki Dukaan” ? Rahul Gandhi Ji? Arresting two women journalists in the wee hours of the morning!! What is their crime? Giving voice to the public opinion on incompetent & corrupt Congress Govt Last I checked, the Constitution of India that you hold regularly, upholds Freedom of Speech Mr. Gandhi," BRS leader KT Rama Rao wrote on X.
Key Takeaways
- The arrests highlight ongoing tensions between media freedom and political accountability.
- Kapil Sibal’s remarks emphasize the importance of protecting journalistic expression.
- The incident raises concerns about the implications of intolerance in governance and society.
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Business NewsNewsIndiaKapil Sibal slams arrest of women journalists in Telangana: ‘Result of contagious disease called intolerance’
First Published:13 Mar 2025, 12:25 PM IST
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