Case against Jagan Reddy-owned news channel for derogatory remarks on women

Andhra Pradesh Police have registered a case against two Telugu journalists Kommineni Srinivas and VV Krishnam Raju, and the management of Sakshi TV, a regional news channel owned by YSRCP chief Jagan Mohan Reddy, for allegedly making derogatory remarks about women from the Amaravati region.

The remarks, aired live on Sakshi TV on June 6, were reportedly made by journalist VV Krishnam Raju, who allegedly referred to the Amaravati region as a “capital of prostitutes”.

The case was filed on June 9 at the Thullur Police Station in Guntur district under several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Information Technology Act, and Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The FIR includes offences under sections 79, 196(1), 353(2), 299, 356(2), 61(1)BNS, 67 ITA-2008, 3(1)(U), SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

Kommineni Srinivas was arrested in Hyderabad, Telangana, and is expected to be brought to Vijayawada for further proceedings. Andhra Pradesh Assembly Deputy Speaker Raghurama Krishna Raju filed a complaint with the Director General of Police on Saturday, calling the televised remarks an affront to journalistic ethics and requesting that cases be filed under various sections of the Indian Penal Code against Krishnam Raju, Kommineni Srinivas, Sakshi TV, and the programme anchor.

Meanwhile, Telugu Desam Party Member of Parliament Lavu Krishna Devarayalu lodged complaints with the Press Council of India and the National Human Rights Commission, urging an inquiry into the broadcast and demanding punitive action.

On Sunday, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu had issued a strong condemnation of the remarks aired on Sakshi TV. “Ours is a culture that honours daughters. We belong to a society that reveres the feminine divine. This is our tradition — the essence of Indian life. Particularly among Telugu people, daughters and mothers are held in deep affection and high esteem,” Naidu said. “In such a state of ours, making disgraceful and vulgar remarks about our mothers and sisters under the guise of political vendetta or media analysis is an unforgivable offence.”

He further criticised the YSRCP for propagating what he called a “toxic culture” through its media arm, and rebuked Jagan Mohan Reddy for remaining silent on the matter. “It is even more distressing that a former Chief Minister, under whose own media channel these offensive statements were broadcast, has yet to denounce the act or apologise to women — a silence that is deeply troubling,” Naidu said.

Naidu warned of strict consequences, declaring, “Those who crossed all boundaries and wounded the sentiments of women in the name of a malicious conspiracy against the capital will face the strictest possible consequences. The derogatory and deliberate insults aimed at the women of that region — who protested against the previous destructive regime — are not just attacks on individuals, but an affront to womanhood itself.” He added that the National Democratic Alliance government would act decisively to protect the dignity of women.

The Andhra Pradesh Women’s Commission Chairperson Rayapati Sailaja also condemned the remarks. She said, “Those who insulted the women of Amaravati must be punished. No one should defend the derogatory comments made by Sakshi Media against the women of the capital. It is not appropriate to attribute caste and religion to Amaravati.”

She accused the channel of spreading misinformation without basis. “What wrong did the women of Amaravati do? Was it their mistake donating land for Amaravati? There is no justification for making insulting remarks about women under the guise of freedom of speech,” she said. “Did the farmers of Amaravati say anything to Sakshi media? It is Sakshi media that has once again pushed Amaravati farmers onto the streets.”

Andhra Pradesh IT Minister Nara Lokesh also criticised YS Jagan Mohan Reddy in a public statement. “How can your media house Sakshi insult women so horrifically? The false propaganda driven by hatred towards the self-respect of mothers and towards Amaravati is the peak of your degradation,” he said. Calling Amaravati “the capital of the gods”, he accused the former Chief Minister of seeking to defame the region. “The NDA government will not tolerate any further attacks on the women of the state or their dignity,” he said, demanding an unconditional apology and promising that the alliance government would ensure strict punishment for those found guilty.