Statement on the Arrest of Journalists in Telangana

The Centre for Liberty expresses concern over the arrest of NTV journalists in Telangana in connection with allegedly defamatory content involving a woman IAS officer.

False and reckless allegations can cause real harm to individuals and undermine public trust. Responsible journalism requires verification, restraint, and respect for privacy, particularly when reporting on personal matters. Media organisations must be held to ethical standards, and false reporting should face accountability.

However, arrest and custodial detention are disproportionate and unacceptable responses to alleged speech-related offences. Arrest is among the most coercive powers of the state and must be treated as a last resort. Using arrest as a routine investigative tool in speech cases chills journalism, discourages legitimate scrutiny, and weakens democratic discourse.

Public statements by the police asserting that notices are unnecessary and that individuals can be “caught and brought” for interrogation raise clear concerns about due process and proportionality. Procedure is not optional. Cooperation cannot replace lawful process, and police discretion cannot substitute for established safeguards.

Reports of late-night arrests, forced entry into journalists’ homes, and attempts to access newsroom records and digital systems without the presentation of search warrants are deeply troubling. Such actions exceed what is necessary to investigate alleged broadcast content and strike at core protections for personal liberty, press freedom, and the confidentiality of journalistic work.

India’s speech laws already give the executive excessive power through criminal defamation and allied provisions. Deploying these laws through arrests, raids, and custodial pressure blurs the line between accountability and intimidation. Disputes over speech must be resolved through transparent legal process, not police coercion.

Custodial detention is not required to investigate speech offences. Accountability for false or irresponsible reporting must prioritise corrections, rebuttals, professional sanctions, and narrowly tailored civil remedies. Imprisonment and intimidation have no place in regulating expression.

A democratic society must be capable of protecting individual dignity without criminalising speech or eroding procedural safeguards. Normalising arrests, raids, and warrantless access to records in speech cases sets a dangerous precedent that extends far beyond this incident.

Ajay Mallareddy
ajay@centreforliberty.org

Centre for Liberty is an independent public policy think tank and advocacy organisation based in Hyderabad, India. It advances individual liberty, property rights, and limited government under the rule of law through research, policy advocacy, legal interventions, education, and public engagement