AP High Court Warns of Dangerous Trend as Social Media Misuse Goes Unpunished
Amaravati: The Andhra Pradesh High Court on Thursday came down hard on the police for their alleged failure to curb abusive and objectionable content on social media platforms. Observing that such inaction emboldens individuals to publish derogatory and provocative material, the court said “the police are asleep while criminals go on the offensive.”
The court expressed concern over the controversial flexible banner in Vijayawada that read “We are waiting for the destruction you will wreak in 2029”, questioning the audacity behind such messages. He asked whether this reflected the inefficiency of law enforcement and warned that such uncontrolled behavior could threaten public order.
During the hearing, the court noted that insulting the Prime Minister meant insulting the people of the state and emphasized that ideological differences were acceptable, but personal attacks and offensive posts against individuals and their families could not be justified.
The board also recalled similar incidents in 2020 involving derogatory posts against Supreme Court justices. Despite the transfer of the case to the CBI, the court observed that little progress had been made, which may have encouraged repeated violations.
The observations came during the hearing of the petition filed by former YSRCP social media in-charge Sajjala Bhargava Reddy, who challenged the Observation Circular (LOC) issued against her. The court questioned the police as to whether proper procedure was followed, including issuing notice under Section 41A of the CrPC and identifying evidence of non-cooperation in the investigation.
The prosecutor alleged that Reddy did not appear for questioning in a case registered in Annamayya district, prompting authorities to search the LOC. However, the court noted that the LOC issued on November 8, 2024 has a validity of one year and expires in November 2025.
After hearing arguments from both sides, Justice Battu Devanand reserved the verdict.
