Jagati Publications, owned by YSR Congress president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, on Monday filed three separate petitions in the AP High Court, challenging a GO issued by the state government, stopping release of advertisements to the Sakshi newspaper and Sakshi television.
Several employees of the publication also filed pleas. The petitioners contended that the action of the government was illegal and in violation of the Fundamental Rights guaranteed under Article 19 (1) (a) of the Constitution. They said that Jagati Publication is facing a probe for allegedly securing investments from various individuals and companies as a measure of quid pro quo for the favours allegedly made by the YSR government from 2004 to 2009. The petitioners pointed out that no allegations were framed against Jag-ati Publications as a corporate entity.
The petitioners argued that mere indictment in a chargesheet cannot be the ground for withholding the advertisement as any penalty in law or civil consequences would arise only in the event of conviction in a competent court or in the event of a person being found guilty of an offence after trial. They said that the FIR and chargesheet indicated that the allegations were not against the promoters of the company, but against the government of the day.
In such a context, the government too would be an accused, and being a co-accused, it could not have taken a decision to punish an accused, they said. They told the court that the Eenadu publishing house had been facing allegations and proceedings in various courts for violation of law and punitive action ought to have been taken against Ushodaya, the TV station, long before initiation of proceedings against Jagati Publications.