YSRCP Leader Pudi Srihari Granted Bail in Social Media Case by Andhra Court

Amaravati, April 2026 : A court in Andhra Pradesh’s Chittoor district on Thursday granted bail to YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) General Secretary (Media), Pudi Srihari, who was arrested on Wednesday over an alleged abusive social media post targeting Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu.

Srihari was taken into custody by police early Wednesday morning in Bengaluru. He was later brought to Kuppam and produced before the Additional Junior Civil Judge Court on Thursday. After hearing arguments from both the prosecution and defence, the court granted him bail.

YSRCP General Secretary (Legal Cell) and former Advocate General P. Sudhakar Reddy alleged discrepancies in the police version of events, stating that Srihari was arrested at 5:45 a.m., while police records mentioned the arrest time as 11:45 p.m. He added that the party has full faith in the judiciary and will continue to challenge what it calls false cases.

Srihari’s arrest came a day after the Supreme Court refused to intervene in an Andhra Pradesh High Court order that had suspended a trial court’s decision rejecting police custody in the case.

Srihari, who previously served as Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) to former Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, had approached the Supreme Court anticipating arrest after the High Court’s suspension of the trial court’s remand rejection order.

He was earlier arrested on April 15 in Vijayawada in connection with a case alleging that he posted objectionable content on social media, including morphed images of Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu. Following his arrest, he was shifted to Kuppam, where the case was registered against him and another YSRCP functionary, Girish Kumar Reddy.

On April 16, Srihari was produced before the trial court, which rejected the police plea for judicial remand, resulting in his release at that time. However, the High Court later suspended the trial court’s order, leading to renewed legal proceedings.

Srihari has consistently denied all allegations, stating that he neither created nor shared the disputed content. He maintained that he has worked as a senior journalist for over 25 years and has always acted within legal boundaries.

He further asserted that even as a political leader, he continues to adhere to journalistic ethics and respects the law. His legal team has argued that the case is politically motivated and aimed at targeting opposition voices.

With the grant of bail, Srihari has been released, though the legal proceedings in the case are expected to continue in the coming weeks.