The Supreme Court on Monday upheld the Telangana High Court’s dismissal of a defamation case brought by the BJP’s Telangana unit against Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy over remarks he made during the 2024 Lok Sabha election campaign.
A bench comprising Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai along with Justice K. Vinod Chandran and Justice Atul S. Chandurkar emphasized that courts should not be turned into arenas for political battles. The bench said that they have repeatedly told that court should not be used for political battles.
The case originated when the BJP’s Telangana subdivision, through its General Secretary, lodged a complaint asserting that Revanth Reddy had colluded with the Congress to suggest that a powerful BJP victory would end reservations—a claim they described as defamatory.In August 2024, a trial court found sufficient grounds to proceed and issued a notice to the Chief Minister.
Reddy then turned to the Telangana High Court, which quashed the defamation proceedings in an August 1 ruling. The High Court noted that Reddy’s remarks targeted the national BJP rather than its Telangana branch. Since the complaint was filed independently by the state unit without proper authorization from the national leadership, it could not be considered maintainable. The court also observed that political speeches are often exaggerated, making defamation claims in such contexts inherently excessive.
The Supreme Court’s rejection of the appeal reaffirms its stance that political discourse—even if sharp—should not ground criminal defamation cases, and that litigating such matters in the highest court undermines democratic debate.