HC quashes TTD’s criminal proceedings against BJP leader

Tirupati: Andhra Pradesh High Court has dismissed criminal charges against BJP leader P Naveen Kumar Reddy in a case initiated by the TTD. This case, which drew widespread attention due to its impact on freedom of speech and the reputation of one of India’s most sacred religious institutions, ended with Justice Venkata Jyothirmayi Pratapa’s verdict in Naveen’s favour.

The dispute began in July 2021 when the TTD, which oversees Sri Venkateswara temple in Tirumala, lodged a FIR against Naveen under Section 505(1)(b) of Indian Penal Code (IPC). The charges were based on his social media posts on Facebook and WhatsApp, which the TTD argued were detrimental to its reputation and management.

According to TTD’s complaint, the posts accused the State government of improperly appointing a particular authority. He alleged this authority made rushed decisions, such as outsourcing laddu counters at high costs, cancelling free darshan, inviting VIPs for special darshan, and making profits from trust darshan ticket sales.

TTD argued that these social media posts were malicious, intended to damage the Specified Authority’s and TTD’s image and create distrust among devotees about the temple’s administration.

In his defence, Naveen claimed he did not intend to cause fear or alarm among the public. His legal team highlighted his history of filing Public Interest Litigations related to TTD administration, some of which had led to interim orders from the High Court.

Justice Jyothirmai observed that the High Court found no evidence suggesting Naveen’s social media posts were intended to incite fear or alarm. The court concluded that the criteria for the offense under Section 505(1)(b) IPC were not met and dismissed the criminal proceedings.