Supreme Court Denies Relief to Former Jagan PRO in Chandrababu Image Morphing Case

In a significant setback, the Supreme Court of India has refused to grant anticipatory bail to Pudi Srihari, who earlier served as Chief Public Relations Officer to Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy. The case relates to alleged morphing of images targeting Chandrababu Naidu. The top court also declined to offer any interim protection.
The matter was heard by a bench led by Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra. The court upheld the earlier decision to suspend the Kuppam trial court’s order, which had granted Srihari station bail. It made it clear that anticipatory bail cannot be granted at this stage and directed that the investigation should proceed without interference.
Police had initially approached the local trial court seeking Srihari’s remand. However, the court declined that request and granted him station bail. Dissatisfied with this decision, the police moved the High Court, which later stayed the trial court’s order and instructed Srihari to cooperate with the investigation.
Following this, Srihari approached the Supreme Court seeking relief. The apex court’s refusal has now strengthened the police case and cleared the way for further action.
According to investigators, Srihari is accused of creating and circulating morphed images of Chandrababu Naidu. These images allegedly depicted violent themes and were accompanied by provocative captions. The posts were widely shared through social media networks linked to YSR Congress Party supporters.
Police claim that the content was designed to provoke unrest and spread misinformation. Hashtags and messages used in these posts allegedly portrayed Chandrababu in an extremely negative and inflammatory manner. Authorities believe this was part of a coordinated attempt to influence public perception and disturb social harmony.
Srihari was arrested earlier this month by Kuppam police in Chittoor district. He was taken into custody from the Tadepalli area and later shifted for further investigation. During searches at his residence near Rainbow Villas, officials seized electronic devices including a laptop, a MacBook, and other documents. These materials are now part of the ongoing probe.
The case was registered under provisions of the Information Technology Act after a complaint was filed by a local corporation director. During the investigation, police also detained a social media coordinator linked to the party. His questioning reportedly revealed details about the network behind the controversial posts.
With the Supreme Court refusing relief, the legal pressure on Srihari has increased.
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