In a major relief to Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, the Supreme Court has refused to entertain the defamation case filed against him by the Telangana BJP.
On Monday, the Apex court heard the petition filed by TBJP leader Kasam Venkateswarlu. He had lodged a defamation case over Revanth Reddy’s remarks during a Kothagudem rally while campaigning for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Revanth Reddy had stated that reservations would be scrapped if BJP came to power. In response, Venkateswarlu filed a case last year under Section 125 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, in the People’s Representatives Court, Hyderabad.
Revanth Reddy later approached the High Court, which ruled in his favour. The High Court observed that political speeches often involve exaggerations and cannot be easily treated as defamation. It dismissed the trial court’s order.
Despite the High Court’s verdict, the TBJP moved the Supreme Court. On Monday, Justice B.R. Gavai dismissed the petition and criticised the party for attempting to use the courts for political purposes.
Justice Gavai also advised politicians to be more inclusive in their approach, underlining that the judiciary should not be misused for electoral battles.
