Hyderabad Court Orders BRS to Delete Posts Attacking Minister Seethakka

Hyderabad's civil court has directed the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and former Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao to take down social media posts containing corruption allegations against Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Minister Danasari Anasuya Seethakka.

The XI Additional Chief Judge at the City Civil Court issued an ad-interim mandatory injunction on Wednesday requiring the removal of posts published on April 10, 2026, across X, Facebook, and Instagram platforms.

The order came following a petition filed by Seethakka challenging what she described as defamatory content regarding smartphone procurement under the Poshan Abhiyan scheme for Anganwadi workers.

Allegations and Court Findings

The BRS and its leadership had claimed that mobile phones listed at Rs. 8,499 were actually procured at Rs. 14,499 each, suggesting financial irregularities totaling Rs. 30 crore. The Women Development and Child Welfare department had initiated a tender for 38,130 mobile phones.

Seethakka's petition asserted that the contract was awarded to the lowest qualified bidder following established procurement protocols. Upon reviewing the tender documents, the court determined that phones were priced at Rs. 11,650 per unit, suggesting the social media posts contained factually incorrect information.

The judge observed that the posts did not accurately represent the procurement procedure and appeared to be based on flawed data.

Legal Process

Seethakka issued a legal notice to the respondents on April 12, 2026, demanding the deletion of posts and a public apology. The BRS received the notice on April 15 but did not comply.

In its ruling, the court cited precedent from a Delhi High Court judgment in the case of Vinay Kumar Saxena versus Aam Aadmi Party, establishing that interim injunctions can be appropriately granted in instances of defamatory social media content.

The judge concluded that Seethakka had established a prima facie case and that refusing the relief sought could cause irreversible harm to her reputation.

Minister's Response

Seethakka characterized the court's decision as a victory against what she termed a false propaganda campaign by the opposition party. She reiterated that the government had adhered to transparent and lawful procedures throughout the procurement process.

The case has been scheduled for further proceedings on June 6, 2026.