Hyderabad, October 22, 2025 – The simmering feud between Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and the state's media fraternity boiled over into a full-throated national controversy this week, with the Supreme Court's dramatic stay on the custody of two women journalists arrested earlier this year for "derogatory" content against the CM reigniting accusations of authoritarian overreach and press suppression. Dubbed the 'Revanth vs Journalists' row by irate digital creators and legacy outlets alike, the escalation has drawn fire from opposition leaders, civil liberties groups, and even allies within the Congress, forcing Reddy to defend his government's "zero-tolerance for fake news" stance amid cries that it's a thinly veiled assault on free speech.
The flashpoint traces back to March 13, when Hyderabad Cyber Crime Police swooped down on Pulse News MD Podigala Revathi and reporter Thanvi Yadav, hauling them in for allegedly circulating a "derogatory" video at the opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) headquarters that lampooned Reddy's administration. The duo's arrest – sparked by a complaint from the ruling Congress's social media wing – unleashed immediate outrage, with BRS chief K Chandrashekar Rao branding it a "witch-hunt" and the Editors Guild of India decrying it as "chilling intimidation." Tensions peaked on March 16 when Reddy, addressing the assembly, thundered that "fake journalists posting offensive content will be stripped and paraded," a visceral threat that echoed colonial-era punishments and drew global condemnation from the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), which labeled it "a direct assault on press freedom."
Fast-forward to October 16, and the Supreme Court – in a bench led by Justice BR Gavai – slammed the brakes on a Telangana High Court order upholding the women's police custody, granting them interim bail and pulling up the state for "overzealous enforcement" that risked "curtailing constitutional rights under Article 19(1)(a)." The apex court's intervention, just six days ago, has supercharged the backlash: Over 500 journalists marched in Hyderabad on Monday under the banner #FreeThePress, with placards reading "Revanth's Red Line: No Questions Asked," while digital platforms like YouTube and X buzzed with #RevanthVsJournalists, amassing 2 million impressions in 48 hours. "This isn't about two women; it's about silencing dissent in a democracy," proclaimed Reporters Without Borders (RSB) in a scathing report ranking Telangana's press freedom at a precarious 142 globally, down 20 spots since Reddy's 2023 ascension.
Reddy, never one to shy from the fray, doubled down during a Tuesday presser at the Secretariat, framing the arrests as a bulwark against "anarchic social media trolls masquerading as journalists" who peddle "abusive propaganda" to undermine governance. "My blood boils when I see these pretenders erode public trust – we've introduced the Telangana Media Regulation Bill precisely to weed out fakes and protect real journalism," he retorted, referencing the contentious legislation tabled in July that mandates accreditation and penalizes "malicious misinformation" with up to three years in jail. The CM's August 1 outburst – where he confessed to "feeling like slapping" young reporters for their "arrogant lack of respect for seniors" – has resurfaced as Exhibit A in the row, with the Press Club of Hyderabad filing a formal complaint to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) alleging "incitement to violence."
The backlash cuts across aisles. Within Congress, digital wing convenor Varun Goud tendered a veiled resignation Tuesday, tweeting, "Press freedom isn't optional; it's the oxygen of accountability – time for introspection." BRS MLAs staged a walkout in the assembly, demanding Reddy's apology, while BJP's Bandi Sanjay Kumar quipped, "Revanth's 'slap-first' journalism policy makes Stalin look liberal." Advocacy groups like the Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF) have petitioned the SC for a broader probe into 15 similar "sedition-lite" cases against YouTubers since January, claiming a pattern of selective targeting against anti-government voices.
For Revathi and Yadav – now out on bail but facing ongoing trials – the saga is personal. "We critiqued policy, not personalities; this is retaliation, pure and simple," Revathi told NDTV in an exclusive, her voice steady despite the ordeal. Their case, intertwined with the state's aggressive cyber policing under the new IT Rules 2021 amendments, has spotlighted Telangana's 45% spike in journalist detentions year-on-year, per CPJ data.
As winter session debates loom, Reddy's administration – buoyed by economic wins like the ₹65,000 crore cotton procurement surge – risks being defined by this media melee. With the SC hearing slated for November 5, the 'Revanth vs Journalists' epithet sticks like glue, a cautionary tale of how curbs on critique can curdle into a crisis of credibility. In Hyderabad's humid October air, the question hangs: Will the CM's iron fist forge reform, or fracture the fourth estate?
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