Jagan Reddy case: AP scribes term CBI move attack on press freedom

Condemning the CBI move to freeze the bank accounts of Sakshi Group owned by Kadapa MP YS Jaganmohan Reddy, the Journalists' Union leaders in Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday termed the development as an attack on freedom of press.

The CBI has approached banks for freezing accounts of Jagati Publications, which brings out Telugu daily Sakshi and Indira TV, which runs the 24-hour Telugu news channel with the same name, owned by Jagan.

"By freezing the bank accounts, the CBI made it impossible for the newspaper and news channel to meet their day-to-day expenses as it amounts to putting hurdles in the way of bringing out newspaper and broadcasting the news channel, and we feel that it is nothing but an attack on the freedom of the press," D Amar, K Srinivasa Reddy and other leaders have maintained.

"While acknowledging that everybody, including individuals and institutions, are equal before the law, we feel that the CBI should strike a fair balance between the requirements of law and the right of the people for free expression embodied in the constitution," they said.

In Kadapa, home constituency of Jagan, a rally was organised by local journalists against the CBI move and a memorandum was submitted to the district collector.