Andhra Pradesh High Court Grants Anticipatory Bail To Ramgopal Varma In Defamatory Twitter Post Case
The Andhra Pradesh High Court granted anticipatory bail to Ramgopal Varma accused of posting defamatory content on Twitter
The Court directed Ramgopal Varma (Petitioner) to furnish a personal bond and two sureties while cooperating fully with the ongoing investigation. The complainant alleged that the Petitioner’s Twitter posts were defamatory and objectionable, harming the interests of his political party.
A Single Bench of Justice Harinath. N held that “it would be appropriate for the petitioner to cooperate with the investigation. The petitioner shall be released on bail in the event of arrest.”
Advocate Rajagopallavan Tayi appeared for the Petitioner.
A complaint was filed by the de facto complainant, who identified himself as the General Secretary of a political party. Based on this complaint, the police registered a case under Sections 336(2), 353(2), 366(2), 61(2), 196, 352 of the BNS, and Section 67 of the Information Technology Act.
The Petitioner contended that the Twitter posts pertained to promotional activities for a movie, which had already been addressed in previous litigation, including a Writ Petition filed before the Telangana High Court. However, the State submitted that the Petitioner intentionally violated Section 353 of the BNS by posting defamatory content on his Twitter account.
The High Court noted, “It is evident from the case diary also that the postings were made in the petitioner’s Twitter account in the months of December 2023 and May 2024. The provision of law with respect to 336(2) would not be applicable insofar as the present facts and circumstances are concerned. So far as the applicability of other provisions of law and establishment of the crime, the police will be required to complete their investigation.”
Consequently, the Court directed, “The petitioner shall cooperate with the investigation and appear before the police for investigation as and when required for the purpose of investigation.”
Accordingly, the High Court allowed the Criminal Petition.
Cause Title: Ramgopal Varma v. The State Of Andhra Pradesh