02-Dec-2024 10:36 PM
1337
New Delhi, Dec 2 (Reporter) The Supreme Court on Monday refused to entertain the plea of Sajjala Bhargava Reddy, the social media in-charge of the YSRCP, and asked him to move the Andhra Pradesh High Court in multiple FIRs filed against him in connection with alleged defamatory and obscene posts targeting Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and his family.
A Bench comprising Justice Surya Kant and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan declined to entertain his plea against the criminal cases, but directed the state authorities not to arrest him for two weeks as he may approach the High Court by then.
The Bench said that the High Courts are constitutional courts equipped with sufficient powers to address such grievances.
"We have no sympathy for anyone and if wrong is done they have to face the law," the Court said.
Senior Advocate Sidharth Luthra appearing for the Andhra Pradesh government contended that the High Court had already denied interim relief to Reddy.
He argued that the petitioner’s actions were unforgivable, and the State was justified in proceeding against him under the law.
Luthra said that Reddy had already secured interim protection in one of the cases which he concealed from the Supreme Court.
Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, representing Reddy, argued that the petitioner was being subjected to harassment through multiple first information reports (FIRs), with four additional FIRs registered as recently as Friday.
Sibal requested the court to protect Reddy from arrest.
Taking note of the submissions, the bench granted Reddy two weeks of interim protection from arrest to enable him to approach the High Court under Article 226 of the Constitution for appropriate relief.
The bench also clarified that it has not expressed any opinion on the merits of the case...////...