Telangana Sets Up Eight-Member SIT to Probe Morphed CM Images and IAS Defamation Cases

Overview

• Director-General of Police B Shivadhar Reddy constituted the SIT under the supervision of Hyderabad Police Commissioner VC Sajjanar, with Joint Commissioner N Swetha as overall in-charge.
• One probe targets a CCS Hyderabad case accusing two Telugu TV channels and seven YouTube channels of fake news, privacy violation and indecent representation of a woman IAS officer under BNS sections 75, 78, 79, 351(1) and 351(2) alongside the IT Act and the Indecent Representation of Women Act.
• A complaint by IAS officers, filed by association secretary Jayesh Ranjan, cites a January 8 broadcast about a woman IAS officer by NTV and T News as false and defamatory.
• The second probe covers a Maddur case alleging a morphed photo of Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy posted by Kavali Venkatesh in a WhatsApp group, registered on January 11 on a complaint by Congress leader Golla Narasimha.
• A memo instructs the SIT to complete both investigations expeditiously and to file charge-sheets while maintaining the highest professional competence.