Ravi Prakash’s arrest, Ban on tv Channels flayed
Moves criticised in Telangana, Andhra as ‘attacks on freedom of expression’.
Former CEO of TV9 and journalist Ravi Prakash’s arrest in Telangana and the blackout of two Telugu news TV channels—abn Andhra Jyothi and Tv5—by cable operators in Andhra Pradesh have been criticised by media organisations as well as Opposition parties in both the Telugu speaking states on the ground that they amounted to attack on the freedom of expression.
Ravi Prakash walked out of jail on bail on Saturday, after spending three weeks in Chenchalguda central prison in Hyderabad after an intervention from the Supreme Court. But the circumstances under which he was sent to jail by the cyber crime police of Hyderabad evoked sharp criticism from both media outfits and Opposition parties.
“Ravi Prakash was sent to jail as he defied the dictates of the ruling TRS government in Telangana and the new owners of TV9 who are close to the ruling party were behind framing of baseless charges against him. This is nothing but political vendetta,” said Congress MP from Malkajgiri, A. Revanth Reddy who called on Ravi Prakash last week in the jail.
Similar outbursts against the ruling YSR Congress in Andhra Pradesh were made by former Chief Minister and Opposition leader N. Chandrababu Naidu who lashed out at the Jagan government for blacking out two news channels—abn Andhra Jyothi and Tv5—as they had opposed the political line of the YSR Congress in Andhra Pradesh. “This is nothing but an emergency like situation,” Naidu said.
Even media professional outfits like the AP Union of Working Journalists attacked the “unfair arrest of Ravi Prakash” as well as the banning of the two TV news channels by cable operators apparently under duress from the ministers in the government since August first week. “These channels were banned because of their boldness to oppose the government,” said P. Anand of the union.
The two TV channels have approached TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India) and TD SAT (Telecom Disputes Settlement Tribunal) last month and the both the bodies have ordered restoration of broadcast of the channels. However, the cable operators as well as the MSOS (Multi-system operators) were unable to implement the orders due to pressure from the ministers, said the union office-bearer.
Ravi Prakash’s release came on production of sureties of Rs 15,000, at the intervention of the Supreme Court which ordered him to approach the lower courts which turned down his bail plea earlier. The metropolitan courts of Hyderabad first rejected his bail plea after his arrest on 4 October and then the High Court which granted him an anticipatory bail in another case earlier. However, Ravi
Prakash knocked the doors of the apex court which heard his bail plea four months ago and directed him to go to the High Court which in turn ordered him to surrender the anticipatory bail and approach the trial court. Ninth additional metropolitan magistrate G. Sridevi, after considering the Supreme Court order, issued release orders on production of sureties.
His lawyers told the Supreme Court that the former CEO of TV9 was arrested illegally as the cyber crime wing of Hyderabad police have taken him into custody on 5 October, a day after he appeared before them as part of a bail he secured in another cased filed by the present owners of TV9, Associated Broadcasting Company Private Limited (ABC) director G. Singa Rao on 4 October.
“As per CRPC Section 41, he should have been issued notices for the case, but the cops have not followed the rule and took him into custody and sent him to jail,” his lawyers told the apex court as well as the High Court. Ravi Prakash has been facing a clutch of cases filed by the present owners of ABC which was taken over by Alanda Media and Entertainment Private Limited in July.
In his complaint, Singa Rao, director of ABC which now runs TV9, alleged that Ravi Prakash had illegally diverted around Rs 18 crore from the company towards bonus for himself and others between September 2018 and May 2019, violating the company norms. Rao in the complaint also named two other ABC employees–m.k.v.n. Murthy and Clifford Pereira—as illegal beneficiaries of the money.
Alanda, owned by infrastructure businessman Jupally Rameshwar Rao’s My Home group, has taken over TV9’S 90.54% share early this year, while Ravi Prakash owns around 8.5% shares in the company. His removal as CEO and editor of the TV9 media was marked by a bitter fight between him and the new management which slapped a bunch of complaints against him, including of forgery and cheating.
Ravi Prakash, who entered the media as a journalist close to three decades ago, alleged that he was victimised because of the business forces which want to stifle the independent media in Telangana. He termed these forces as “mafia”. He denied charges against him on the ground that he had built the channel right from the beginning and maintained that he had not done any wrong.
Journalists’ associations as well as some Opposition parties have slammed the arrest of Ravi Prakash and also the blackout of two Telugu TV news channels– ABN Andhra Jyothi and Tv5–in Andhra Pradesh after the Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy government came to power five months ago. A majority of cable operators were believed to have been instructed to black out the channels as they were critical of the government.
The Haryana and Maharashtra results have brought in an unexpected windfall for the Old Guard within the Congress and carry their own subtext for Team Rahul, for the Haryana tally is being credited directly to Bhupinder Singh Hooda’s account and no credit is given to Rahul Gandhi. In fact if anything, the former Congress president is being blamed for delaying Hooda’s elevation and costing the Congress the election. Interestingly, Rahul only campaigned twice in Haryana, and both times, Bhupinder Hooda did not share the dais with him. There was an unofficial roadmap in place going by the popular perception that BJP would sweep both states, and then Team Rahul would somewhat smugly point out that a change of guard had done no good and make the case of a “return to Rahul”. That move has effectively been stalled, with not just Hooda but other members of the Old Guard such as Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath agreeing that the delay in elevating Hooda cost the Congress the election. So Team Rahul will just have to reboot their data, as on ground experience scores over laptop calculations. Or, to put it in a more colloquial manner: hair dye wins over blow dry.