The Supreme Court on Thursday stayed the re-arrest of two women-journalists from Telangana - first arrested on March 12 and released on bail five days later - for posting and amplifying allegedly abusive social media content against Chief Minister Revanth Reddy.
A bench of Justice Sandeep Mehta Vikram Nath put a Telangana High Court order on hold and issued a notice to the state government, seeking its reply to the journalists' plea.
Pulse News chief Pogadadanda Revathy and Thanvi Yadav, a reporter for the same channel, moved the Supreme Court Tuesday after the High Court upheld a lower court order.
The re-arrest order followed the state challenging the lower court's grant of bail.
On Monday, the High Court upheld that order.
The journalists' counsel then sought an urgent hearing in the Supreme Court, telling a separate bench, one led by Chief Justice BR Gavai, that the women fear being taken into custody again.
Their first arrest was by Hyderabad Police's Cyber Crime division.
READ | Women Journalists Arrested Over Revanth Reddy Post, BRS Protests
They were detained after a complaint by the ruling Congress' social media unit chief and faced serious charges - from publishing obscene material to organised crime and criminal conspiracy, spreading rumours to incite hatred, and provoking a breach of peace.
It was also argued their posts should be seen as 'highly provocative', with the potential to incite violence, and constituted a 'deliberate attempt by Pulse TV to defame and spread propaganda'.
READ | 2 Women Journalists Arrested For Post Against Revanth Reddy Get Bail
Five days later the local court ordered their release on bail.
The row erupted after a video in which Yadav was seen interviewing a man using derogatory remarks against the Congress and the Chief Minister went viral.
Revathy then allegedly posted the video on her social media page which then got amplified.
