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HIGH COURT OF ANDHRA PRADESH AT AMARAVATI ****
Crl.R.C.No.1287 of 2025 Between:
1. AMODHA PUBLICATIONS PVT. LTD.,, REP. BY ITS MANAGING DIRECTOR, VEMURI RADHA KRISHNA, ASHWINI LAYOUT, HUDA HEIGHTS, ROAD NO.70, JUBILEE HILLS, HYDERABAD, TELANGANA STATE.
2. VEMURI RADHA KRISHNA,, REP. BY ITS MANAGING DIRECTOR, M/S. AMODHA PUBLICATIONS PVT. LTD. ASHWINI LAYOUT, HUDA HEIGHTS, ROAD NO.70, JUBILEE HILLS, HYDERABAD, TELANGANA STATE.
3. KOGANTI VENKATA SESHAGIRI RAO,, S/O. NOT KNOWN, PRINTER AND PUBLISHER, ANDHRA JYOTHI TELUGU DAILY, ASHWINI LAYOUT, HUDA HEIGHTS, ROAD NO.70, JUBILEE HILLS, HYDERABAD, TELANGANA STATE.
4. K. SRINIVAS,, S/O. SINGARACHARYULU, EDITOR, ANDHRA JYOTHI TELUGU DAILY ASHWINI LAYOUT, HUDA HEIGHTS, ROAD NO.70, JUBILEE HILLS, HYDERABAD, TELANGANA STATE.
5. MR. M. MADHAVA RAO,, BUREAU CHIEF, ANDHRA EDITION, ANDHRA JYOTHI TELUGU DAILY, ASHWINI LAYOUT, HUDA HEIGHTS ROAD NO.70, JUBILEE HILLS, HYDERABAD, TELANGANA STATE.
...PETITIONER(S)
AND
1. THE STATE OF ANDHRA PRADESH, Rep. by its Public Prosecutor, High Court of Andhra Pradesh, at Amaravati, Guntur District.
...RESPONDENT Crl.R.C.No.1336 of 2025 Between:
1. M/S AMODHA BROADCASTING COMPANY PIVATE LIMITED, PLOT NO.76, ANDHRA JYOTHI BUILDING, HUDA HEIGHTS ASHWINI LAYOUT, ROAD NO.70, JOURNALIST COLONY JUBILEE HILLS, HYDERABAD-500083, REP. BY ITS MANAGING DIRECTOR, MR.
VEMURI RADHA KRISHNA, 2. MR. VEMURI RADHA KRISHNA,, S/O. NAGESWARA RAO, AGED 55 YEARS. REP. BY ITS MANAGING DIRECTOR, AMODHA PUBLICATIONS PVT. LTD., ASHWINI LAYOUT, HUDA HEIGHTS, ROAD NO.70, JUBILEE HILLS, HYDERABAD, TELANGANA STATE.
3. K. SRINIVAS,, S/O. SINGARACHARYULU, AGED 50 YEARS. EDITOR, ANDHRA JYOTHI NEWS PAPER (DAILY) ASHWINI LAYOUT, HUDA HEIGHTS, ROAD NO.70, JUBILEE HILLS, HYDERABAD, TELANGANA STATE.
4. MR. KOGANTI VENKATA SESHAGIRI RAO,, PRINTER AND PUBLISHER ON BEHALF OF ADDRESSEE NO.1, SY.NO.70/1 AND 2, VEDURUPAVULURU VILLAGE, MUSTABAD GRAM PANCHAYAT, GANNAVARAM MANDAL KRISHNA DISTRICT-521107.
...PETITIONER(S)
AND
1. THE STATE OF ANDHRA PRADESH, Rep. by its Public Prosecutor, High Court of Andhra Pradesh at Amaravati, Guntur District.
...RESPONDENT Crl.R.C.No.1339 of 2025 Between:
1. AMODHA PUBLICATIONS PVT LTD, REP. BY ITS MANAGING DIRECTOR, VEMURI RADHA KRISHNA, ASHWINI LAYOUT, HUDA HEIGHTS, ROAD NO.70, JUBILEE HILLS HYDERABAD, TELANGANA STATE.
2. VEMURI RADHA KRISHNA, REP. BY ITS MANAGING DIRECTOR, M/S. AMODHA PUBLICATIONS PVT. LTD. ASHWINI LAYOUT, HUDA HEIGHTS, ROAD NO.70, JUBILEE HILLS, HYDERABAD, TELANGANA STATE.
3. KOGANTI VENKATA SESHAGIRI RAO,, S/O. NOT KNOWN, PRINTER PUBLISHER, ANDHRA JYOTHI TELUGU DAILY, ASHWINI LAYOUT, HUDA HEIGHTS, ROAD NO.70, JUBILEE HILLS, HYDERABAD, TELANGANA STATE.
4. K. SRINIVAS,, S/O. SINGARACHARYULU, EDITOR, ANDHRA JYOTHI TELUGU DAILY, ASHWINI LAYOUT, HUDA HEIGHTS, ROAD NO.70, JUBILEE HILLS, HYDERABAD, TELANGANA STATE.
5. MR. M. MADHAVA RAO, BUREAU CHIEF, ANDHRA EDITION, ANDHRA JYOTHI TELUGU DAILY, ASHWINI LAYOUT, HUDA HEIGHTS, ROAD NO.70, JUBILEE HILLS, TELANGANA STATE.
...PETITIONER(S)
AND
1. THE STATE OF ANDHRA PRADESH, Rep. by its Public Prosecutor, High Court of Andhra Pradesh, at Amaravati, Guntur District.
...RESPONDENT Crl.R.C.No.1340 of 2025 Between:
1. VEMURI RADHA KRISHNA, S/O. NAGESWARA RAO, MANAGING DIRECTOR, AAMODA PUBLICATIONS PVT. LTD., ASHWINI LAYOUT, HUDA HEIGHTS, / ROAD NO.70, JUBILEE HILLS, HYDERABAD, TELANGANA STATE.
2. KOGANTI VENKATA SESHAGIRI RAO,, S/O. NOT KNOWN TO THE COMPLAINANT, PRINTER AND PUBLISHER, ANDHRA JYOTHI TELUGU DAILY, ASHWINI LAYOUT, HUDA HEIGHTS, ROAD NO.70, JUBILEE HILLS, HYDERABAD, TELANGANA STATE.
3. K. SRINIVAS,, S/O. SINGARACHARYULU, EDITOR, ANDHRA JYOTHI TELUGU DAILY, ASHWINI LAYOUT, HUDA HEIGHTS, ROAD NO.70, JUBILEE HILLS, HYDERABAD, TELANGANA STATE.
4. THE BUREAU CHIEF,, ANDHRA EDITION, ANDHRA JYOTHI TELUGU DAILY, ASHWINI LAYOUT, HUDA HEIGHTS, ROAD NO.70, JUBILEE HILLS, HYDERABAD, TELANGANA STATE.
...PETITIONER(S)
AND
1. THE STATE OF ANDHRA PRADESH, Rep. by its Public Prosecutor.
High Court of Andhra Pradesh, at Amaravati, Guntur District.
...RESPONDENT ****
JUDGMENT RESERVED DATE : 01.12.2025 DATE OF ORDER PRONOUNCED : 20.12.2025 DATE OF ORDER UPLOADED : 25.12.2025 SUBMITTED FOR APPROVAL:
THE HONOURABLE DR JUSTICE Y. LAKSHMANA RAO
1. Whether Reporters of Local Newspapers may be allowed to see the Judgment? Yes/No
2. Whether the copy of Judgment may be marked to Law Reporters/Journals? Yes/No
3. Whether His Lordship wish to see the fair copy of the Judgment? Yes/No _________________________
Dr. Y. LAKSHMANA RAO, J * THE HONOURABLE DR JUSTICE Y. LAKSHMANA RAO + CRIMINAL REVISION CASE Nos: 1287, 1336, 1339 & 1340 of 2025 % 20.12.2025 # Crl.R.C.No.1287 of 2025 Between:
1. AMODHA PUBLICATIONS PVT. LTD.,, REP. BY ITS MANAGING DIRECTOR, VEMURI RADHA KRISHNA, ASHWINI LAYOUT, HUDA HEIGHTS, ROAD NO.70, JUBILEE HILLS, HYDERABAD, TELANGANA STATE.
2. VEMURI RADHA KRISHNA,, REP. BY ITS MANAGING DIRECTOR, M/S. AMODHA PUBLICATIONS PVT. LTD. ASHWINI LAYOUT, HUDA HEIGHTS, ROAD NO.70, JUBILEE HILLS, HYDERABAD, TELANGANA STATE.
3. KOGANTI VENKATA SESHAGIRI RAO,, S/O. NOT KNOWN, PRINTER AND PUBLISHER, ANDHRA JYOTHI TELUGU DAILY, ASHWINI LAYOUT, HUDA HEIGHTS, ROAD NO.70, JUBILEE HILLS, HYDERABAD, TELANGANA STATE.
4. K. SRINIVAS,, S/O. SINGARACHARYULU, EDITOR, ANDHRA JYOTHI TELUGU DAILY ASHWINI LAYOUT, HUDA HEIGHTS, ROAD NO.70, JUBILEE HILLS, HYDERABAD, TELANGANA STATE.
5. MR. M. MADHAVA RAO,, BUREAU CHIEF, ANDHRA EDITION, ANDHRA JYOTHI TELUGU DAILY, ASHWINI LAYOUT, HUDA HEIGHTS ROAD NO.70, JUBILEE HILLS, HYDERABAD, TELANGANA STATE.
...PETITIONER(S)
AND
1. THE STATE OF ANDHRA PRADESH, Rep. by its Public Prosecutor, High Court of Andhra Pradesh, at Amaravati, Guntur District.
...RESPONDENT Crl.R.C.No.1336 of 2025 Between:
1. M/S AMODHA BROADCASTING COMPANY PIVATE LIMITED, PLOT NO.76, ANDHRA JYOTHI BUILDING, HUDA HEIGHTS ASHWINI LAYOUT, ROAD NO.70, JOURNALIST COLONY JUBILEE HILLS, HYDERABAD-500083, REP. BY ITS MANAGING DIRECTOR, MR.
VEMURI RADHA KRISHNA, 2. MR. VEMURI RADHA KRISHNA,, S/O. NAGESWARA RAO, AGED 55 YEARS. REP. BY ITS MANAGING DIRECTOR, AMODHA PUBLICATIONS PVT. LTD., ASHWINI LAYOUT, HUDA HEIGHTS, ROAD NO.70, JUBILEE HILLS, HYDERABAD, TELANGANA STATE.
3. K. SRINIVAS,, S/O. SINGARACHARYULU, AGED 50 YEARS. EDITOR, ANDHRA JYOTHI NEWS PAPER (DAILY) ASHWINI LAYOUT, HUDA HEIGHTS, ROAD NO.70, JUBILEE HILLS, HYDERABAD, TELANGANA STATE.
4. MR. KOGANTI VENKATA SESHAGIRI RAO,, PRINTER AND PUBLISHER ON BEHALF OF ADDRESSEE NO.1, SY.NO.70/1 AND 2, VEDURUPAVULURU VILLAGE, MUSTABAD GRAM PANCHAYAT, GANNAVARAM MANDAL KRISHNA DISTRICT-521107.
...PETITIONER(S)
AND
1. THE STATE OF ANDHRA PRADESH, Rep. by its Public Prosecutor, High Court of Andhra Pradesh at Amaravati, Guntur District.
...RESPONDENT Crl.R.C.No.1339 of 2025 Between:
1. AMODHA PUBLICATIONS PVT LTD, REP. BY ITS MANAGING DIRECTOR, VEMURI RADHA KRISHNA, ASHWINI LAYOUT, HUDA HEIGHTS, ROAD NO.70, JUBILEE HILLS HYDERABAD, TELANGANA STATE. 2.
2. VEMURI RADHA KRISHNA, REP. BY ITS MANAGING DIRECTOR, M/S. AMODHA PUBLICATIONS PVT. LTD. ASHWINI LAYOUT, HUDA HEIGHTS, ROAD NO.70, JUBILEE HILLS, HYDERABAD, TELANGANA STATE. 3.
3. KOGANTI VENKATA SESHAGIRI RAO,, S/O. NOT KNOWN, PRINTER PUBLISHER, ANDHRA JYOTHI TELUGU DAILY, ASHWINI LAYOUT, HUDA HEIGHTS, ROAD NO.70, JUBILEE HILLS, HYDERABAD, TELANGANA STATE. 4.
4. K. SRINIVAS,, S/O. SINGARACHARYULU, EDITOR, ANDHRA JYOTHI TELUGU DAILY, ASHWINI LAYOUT, HUDA HEIGHTS, ROAD NO.70, JUBILEE HILLS, HYDERABAD, TELANGANA STATE.
5. MR. M. MADHAVA RAO, BUREAU CHIEF, ANDHRA EDITION, ANDHRA JYOTHI TELUGU DAILY, ASHWINI LAYOUT, HUDA HEIGHTS, ROAD NO.70, JUBILEE HILLS, TELANGANA STATE.
...PETITIONER(S)
AND
1. THE STATE OF ANDHRA PRADESH, Rep. by its Public Prosecutor, High Court of Andhra Pradesh, at Amaravati, Guntur District.
...RESPONDENT Crl.R.C.No.1340 of 2025 Between:
1. VEMURI RADHA KRISHNA, S/O. NAGESWARA RAO, MANAGING DIRECTOR, AAMODA PUBLICATIONS PVT. LTD., ASHWINI LAYOUT, HUDA HEIGHTS, / ROAD NO.70, JUBILEE HILLS, HYDERABAD, TELANGANA STATE.
2. KOGANTI VENKATA SESHAGIRI RAO, S/O. NOT KNOWN TO THE COMPLAINANT, PRINTER AND PUBLISHER, ANDHRA JYOTHI TELUGU DAILY, ASHWINI LAYOUT, HUDA HEIGHTS, ROAD NO.70, JUBILEE HILLS, HYDERABAD, TELANGANA STATE.
3. K. SRINIVAS, S/O. SINGARACHARYULU, EDITOR, ANDHRA JYOTHI TELUGU DAILY, ASHWINI LAYOUT, HUDA HEIGHTS, ROAD NO.70, JUBILEE HILLS, HYDERABAD, TELANGANA STATE.
4. THE BUREAU CHIEF, ANDHRA EDITION, ANDHRA JYOTHI TELUGU DAILY, ASHWINI LAYOUT, HUDA HEIGHTS, ROAD NO.70, JUBILEE HILLS, HYDERABAD, TELANGANA STATE.
...PETITIONER(S)
AND
1. THE STATE OF ANDHRA PRADESH, Rep. by its Public Prosecutor.
High Court of Andhra Pradesh, at Amaravati, Guntur District.
...RESPONDENT ! Counsel for the Petitioners : Ginjupalli Subba Rao ^Counsel for the Respondent : Mr. Neelotpal Ganji Gist:
> Head Note:
? Cases referred:
1) (2017) 14 SCC 809
2) (1977) 4 SCC 137 3) (1977) 4 SCC 551 4) (2000) 6 SCC 195
5) 1980 Supp SCC 92
6) (1999) 3 SCC 134
7) 2025 SCC OnLine AP 3872
8) (1985) 1 SCC 641 9) (1994) 6 SCC 632
10) (2018) 6 SCC 676 11) (2015) 6 SCC 158 12) (2016) 7 SCC 221
13) (2015) 5 SCC 1
14) AIR 1957 SC 620 15) AIR 1962 SC 955 16) (1989) 2 SCC 574
17) 1965 SCC Online SC 256
18) (2015) 4 SCC 609
19) (2014) 14 SCC 638
20) (2013) 2 SCC 435 21) (2010) 7 SCC 578 22) (2013) 2 SCC 488 23) (2017) 3 SCC 528
24) (2015) 12 SCC 420
25) (1998) 5 SCC 749
26) Crl.M.C.No.2792/2017 dated 29.03.2023
27) (1972) 1 SCC 450
28) 1993 Supp (1) SCC 499
29) 2020 SCC OnLine Mad 1023 THE HONOURABLE DR JUSTICE Y. LAKSHMANA RAO
COMMON ORDER:
These Criminal Revision Cases filed under Sections 438 and 442 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, the BNSS are heard and disposed of by way of this common order, as they pertain to identical offences involving noticeably the same set of accused, all result from a connected factual condition.
FACTUAL MATRIX:
2. Criminal Revision Case No.1287 of 2025 has been filed feeling aggrieved by the order dated 30.12.2023 rendered in C.C.No.27 of 2023 on the file of the learned IV Additional District & Sessions Judge, Guntur, arising out of a complaint pertaining to a publication dated 20.06.2023 in the Andhra Jyothi Telugu Daily, wherein the accused persons, viz., the Company, its Managing Director, Printer & Publisher, Editor, and Bureau Chief, are alleged to have disseminated defamatory imputations against the Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) by portraying a purported decline in passenger patronage, maladministration, and mismanagement under the incumbent dispensation; the State Public Prosecutor, High Court of Andhra Pradesh, contends that such publication constitutes libel calculated to malign the reputation of the Government and its officials, whereas in rejoinder APSRTC has placed on record official comparative data evidencing enhanced performance in 2022-23 vis-à-vis 2019-20, including augmentation of revenue by 17%, increase in earnings per kilometre by 21%, induction of new diesel and electric buses, provision of compassionate appointments, and receipt of Governmental financial assistance exceeding Rs.10,336 Crores since 2020, while further clarifying that only 214 buses were scrapped as against the misreported figure of 980, and highlighting initiatives such as maintenance of normal fares during festive seasons, expansion of cargo operations, and rationalization of interstate services with Telangana.
3. Criminal Revision Case No.1336 of 2025 has been instituted feeling aggrieved by the order dated 04.07.2023 passed in C.C.No.4 of 2023 on the file of the learned District & Sessions Judge, Guntur, arising out of a complaint relating to a publication dated 15.08.2020 in the Telugu daily Andhra Jyothi under the caption “(cid:2005)(cid:2329) య(cid:1979)వత(cid:2031) (cid:2006)(cid:1733)!” (“Surveillance on the Judiciary”), wherein imputations were made alleging that the Government of Andhra Pradesh was subjecting Hon’ble Judges of the High Court to surveillance; the complainant, the Public Prosecutor of the High Court of Andhra Pradesh, duly authorized under G.O.Rt.No.874, Home (SC-B) Department, dated 26.09.2022, contends that the said article was unverified, scandalous, and actuated by mala fides with intent to tarnish the reputation of the Government, thereby constituting offences of defamation punishable under Sections 499 and 502 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 (for brevity ‘the I.P.C.,’) read with Section 120B of ‘the I.P.C.’; it is further averred that a legal notice dated 15.08.2020 was issued to the accused requiring an unconditional apology within fifteen days, which was not complied with, a complaint was filed within the period of limitation as extended by orders of the Hon’ble Supreme Court during the Covid-19 pandemic.
4. Criminal Revision Case No.1339 of 2025 has been filed aggrieved by the order dated 10.08.2023 passed in C.C.No.14 of 2023 on the file of the learned V Additional District & Sessions Judge, Guntur, arising out of a complaint relating to a publication dated 03.02.2023 in the Andhra Jyothi Telugu Daily, wherein the accused company together with its editorial team was alleged to have published false and scandalous imputations suggesting that the Chief Secretary of Andhra Pradesh travelled in the company of the Chief Minister’s OSD Krishna Mohan Reddy and one Naveen from Kadapa to Renigunta and thereafter to Vijayawada, purportedly linking the same to the sensitive context of the homicide of Late Y.S. Vivekananda Reddy; the Chief Secretary, by rejoinder dated 05.
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