TV anchor not liable for panelist's statement: Supreme Court

NEW DELHI: Putting a premium connected the close to escaped code and expression, Supreme Court connected Friday ordered the merchandise of Sakshi TV anchor K Srinivasa Rao, who was held by Andhra constabulary for abetting alleged derogatory and defamatory statements by a panelist connected his unrecorded amusement connected Amaravati.

Justices Mishra and Manmohan said, "Rao has not made the statement. His journalistic information successful a unrecorded TV amusement deserves to beryllium protected, truthful arsenic that of his cardinal close to escaped speech. Rao shall beryllium released connected bail connected conditions to beryllium imposed by the proceedings court."Guest called Amaravati ‘capital of enactment workers’On June 6, governmental expert V V R Krishnamraju had appeared arsenic a panelist connected a amusement anchored by Rao connected Sakshi TV, considered a mouthpiece of absorption YSR Congress Party which portion successful govt had abrogated erstwhile TDP dispensation's Amaravati superior project, and referred to the superior arsenic 'capital of enactment workers".Appearing for the 70-year-old Rao, elder advocator Siddharth Dave told a seat of Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and Manmohan that helium was lone hosting the TV amusement and that the connection is not attributed to him but to a panellist implicit whom helium had nary control.Opposing the plea challenging the arrest, elder advocates Mukul Rohatgi and Sidharth Luthra said that erstwhile the offending and derogatory connection was made against women of Andhra Pradesh, the TV anchor, alternatively of stopping the panellist, was seen encouragingly laughing.

The seat sought the AP government's effect to his petition seeking the quashing of the FIR against him. However, it cautioned Rao not to impact himself successful immoderate defamatory connection oregon let immoderate panelist to marque specified a connection successful unrecorded TV shows.