New Delhi: Former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has approached the Delhi High Court seeking legal recourse against prominent media outlets for allegedly defamatory articles linking him to bribery allegations involving the Adani Group’s solar power agreements under investigation in the United States.
Justice Subramonium Prasad, hearing the case on Monday, issued summons to the respondents, including TV Today Network (Aaj Tak), Eenadu Publications, ABN News, and Andhra Jyoti, among others. Search engine giant Google has also been named in the suit, accused of enabling the dissemination of the alleged defamatory content.
The Court clarified that any future publication concerning Reddy in this regard will be considered published with notice of the ongoing suit and subject to the consequences thereof.
Allegations and Plaintiff’s Stand
Senior Advocate Dayan Krishnan, representing Reddy, argued that media reports had falsely insinuated that the former Chief Minister had accepted bribes from Adani for facilitating solar power purchase agreements. These claims, Krishnan contended, were baseless and intended to malign Reddy’s reputation.
Reddy’s plea emphasized that he has no connection to the allegations being investigated by US authorities and has never been summoned by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
“The insinuations against the Plaintiff inter alia of receiving bribes, indulging in corruption, extending favours, or misusing his position as the Chief Minister are completely false and have been made with the sole intent of lowering his reputation,” the plea stated.
Reliefs Sought
Reddy has sought damages of ₹100 crore and an injunction against further defamatory publications. The petition also seeks:
- Takedown of defamatory articles and social media content.
- A dynamic injunction restraining further publication.
- An unconditional public apology from the respondents.
The plea also highlighted the wide-reaching impact of the coverage, alleging that it aims to create a damaging narrative against Reddy, making it challenging for him to address the public perception.
Next Hearing
The Court issued a notice to the respondents and scheduled the next hearing for December 16, during which the application for interim relief will be considered.
