You should be thick-skinned: Delhi High Court to YSR Congress leader in suit over Tirupati laddu reporting

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday issued summons to various media organisations in the defamation suit filed by YSR Congress Party leader and former Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam chairperson YV Subba Reddy and his wife over articles linking him to the Tirupati laddu prasadam controversy [Yerram Venkata Subba Reddy & Anr. Vs Ushodaya Enterprises Private Limited & Ors]..Reddy has sought the takedown the allegedly defamatory articles accusing him of wrongdoing in connection with the procurement of ghee for the prasadam, as well as damages of ₹10 crores. Justice Amit Bansal today said that any future publications relating to Reddy and the issue would be subject to the court proceedings. “It is made clear that any publication made after today would be after being put to notice by this Court and have its own consequences,” the Court stated, while listing the case for further consideration on January 29, 2026..Senior Advocate Dayan Krishnan, appearing for the politician, submitted that the media reports wrongly insinuated his complicity, abuse of office and bribery in relation to the controversy."They say that it was done at my behest. They have hanged me before even an investigation. I am not an accused in the chargesheet. One who is facing investigation should not face another investigation,” Krishnan said. The matter is still being investigated and media houses are not entitled to publish such reports, he added..However, the Court remarked that Reddy should be thick-skinned, given that he is a politician.“If you are holding these high public offices, you should be a little thick-skinned,” Justice Bansal said.The Court added that the law is settled that ex parte injunction cannot be granted in matters related to media reporting..The laddu controversy erupted in November 2024 when Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu alleged that animal fat was being used to make Tirupati laddus under the previous Congress government. Initially, the State government constituted an SIT to probe the matter. The Supreme Court substituted it with an SIT composed of two officers of the CBI, two officers of the State Government, and one officer of the FSSAI. As per reports, a forensic lab report revealed that animal fat was found in the ghee used to prepare laddus at the Hindu shrine in Andhra Pradesh, where Lord Venkateswara is worshipped..Reddy moved the Court alleging that news articles give a false impression of culpability and their repeated publication is aimed at reaching a wider audience and to undermine his reputation, credibility and integrity.The publication of such articles is reckless, factually incorrect and has been done without seeking his comments, as per the suit.He requested the Court to issue a dynamic injunction ordering takedown of the already-published articles and restraining any further publication in this regard.Several media houses, including Ushodaya Enterprises, Eenadu Publications and Express Network Private Limited were arraigned as defendants to the suit. Google has also been made a party to the suit, stating that it has significant role in providing necessary assistance and cooperation by removing access to the defamatory material. .The counsel appearing for New Indian Express opposed the suit, stating that the newspaper was not publishing any defamatory articles. The reportage is based on inputs by the Special Investigation Team (SIT), the Court was told..Senior Advocate Dayan Krishnan with advocates Amit Agrawal, Rahul Kukreja, Sahil Raveen, Radhika Yadav, Akanksha Chauhan and Jatin Shrivastava appeared for Reddy..Follow Bar and Bench channel on WhatsAppDownload the Bar and Bench Mobile app for instant access to the latest legal news.