2 Telangana Journalists, Arrested For 'Fake News' On Woman IAS Officer, Get Bail

Two senior journalists of a prominent Telugu news channel, who were arrested on Wednesday for broadcasting an alleged defamatory story about a woman IAS officer and a minister, have been granted bail. The two journalists—Dasari Sudheer and Donthu Ramesh—were arrested by Hyderabad Police as part of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe based on a complaint from senior IAS officer Jayesh Ranjan, Secretary of the Telangana IAS Officers' Association.

What Is The Case

In a complaint dated January 8, Ranjan said that NTV published and telecast a news piece regarding a woman IAS officer that was "completely false, fabricated, and baseless."

The news piece accused an unnamed minister of harassing a woman IAS officer. Several social media posts also alleged a serving woman IAS officer of insinuating an alleged personal relationship with a minister for official postings.

Two days later, on January 10, Telangana Senior Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy came down heavily on what he termed as a "deliberate and baseless media campaign" against women IAS officers, stating that such reports were "irresponsible, damaging, and deeply disturbing."

Clarifying the administrative process, Komatireddy Venkat Reddy asserted that there was no role for individual ministers in the transfer or posting of collectors or IAS officers. 

"IAS postings are decided solely by the Hon'ble Chief Minister as per established norms. Any suggestion of ministerial or political interference is completely false," he said.

He said that while political leaders are often targeted, it was unacceptable to drag IAS officers—including women officers working in the Chief Minister's office—into such campaigns. 

He also rejected recent reports linking him and Nalgonda district to alleged interference, calling them "entirely fabricated."

Reflecting on his public life, Komatireddy Venkat Reddy recalled that he had resigned from a ministerial post during the Telangana movement and said he had been elected five times as MLA and once as MP.

"Subjecting me to mental harassment through false reports is unjust and unacceptable," he remarked.

Expressing faith in justice, the minister concluded that the ongoing police inquiry would bring out the truth and those behind the false campaigns would be held accountable under the law.

Action Taken

The case was registered on January 10 at the Central Crime Station (CCS), Hyderabad, under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the IT Act, and the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act. Police said the news telecast contained false and objectionable allegations against the IAS officer.

An eight-member SIT, headed by Joint Commissioner of Police, N Swetha (IPS), was formed to investigate the matter.

On January 14, CCS police arrested two journalists—Dasari Sudheer (39), senior reporter of NTV, from his home in Boduppal, and Donthu Ramesh (52), input editor of NTV, who was stopped at RGI Airport while trying to fly to Bangkok—and handed them over to the police.

Both were questioned, electronic material was seized, and they were produced before a magistrate and sent to judicial custody.

Channel Issues An Apology

After the case was filed, the private channel management issued a public apology, saying it regretted and expressed sorrow over the broadcast.

The police action has also attracted criticism not only from the journalist fraternity but also from the political class.

BRS working president KTR questioned the SIT action and brought up Rahul Gandhi in the matter. Taking a dig at the Congress leadership, KTR said Rahul Gandhi speaks about saving democracy in Delhi, but in Telangana, journalists are being arrested in the middle of the night for news reports.

Another BRS leader, Harish Rao, dialed the state DGP, Shivdhar Reddy, and condemned the arrests. Referring to the ongoing Sankranthi festivity, he requested the DGP to immediately release the arrested journalists.

Harish Rao called the arrest an attack on the media. He said police broke into journalists' homes at midnight during a festival and arrested them without following proper legal procedure. "Journalists are not criminals or terrorists. This kind of action creates fear in the media and causes mental trauma to families," he said, demanding their immediate release.

Andhra Pradesh's former Chief Minister and YSRCP president also condemned the police action and arrest.