National Human Rights Commission registered a case against arrest of NTV journalist, Donthu Ramesh, by Hyderabad Police. The image is used for representative purposes only.
The National Human Rights Commission has registered a case over the detention and arrest of NTV journalist Donthu Ramesh by Hyderabad police, following a complaint that termed the action an abuse of authority and a violation of press freedom.
The complaint was filed by human rights lawyer Rama Rao Immaneni, who said the incident took place on January 14 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport on Hyderabad outskirts. The NHRC acknowledged the complaint on January 15 and assigned it diary number 1079/IN/2026, confirming that the matter had been formally taken on record.
According to the complaint, Donthu Ramesh, an input editor with the Telugu news channel NTV, was taken into custody by police personnel in plain clothes, including an Assistant Commissioner of Police, Guru Raghavendra, and an Assistant Sub-Inspector, Md. Aleem, without prior notice or adherence to legal procedure. The complainant alleged that mandatory safeguards under Section 35(3) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, which require prior service of notice, were deliberately ignored.
The complaint further stated that the arrest stemmed from a case registered based on a complaint by senior IAS officer Jayesh Ranjan, following the telecast of a news item that referred to allegations against an unnamed woman IAS officer.
The complainant argued that Mr. Jayesh Ranjan was not personally aggrieved by the telecast and that no woman officer had been explicitly identified in the report.
The matter has been categorised by the NHRC under “atrocities on media persons”, with the police listed as the concerned authority.
Seeking the intervention of the Commission, the complainant has requested an independent inquiry into the role of the police officers involved, compensation for the journalist, and consequential action against the investigating officer and other personnel accused of carrying out the arrest. The plea also sought directions to prevent similar violations in future.
Published – January 16, 2026 01:04 pm IST
