Vijayawada: Retired Andhra Pradesh High Court Justice T Sunil Choudary stated here on Thursday that the Indian Constitution, while guaranteeing fundamental freedoms and rights, also enshrines a sense of responsibility.
Speaking at a seminar organised by the C Raghavachari Media Academy on “False Propaganda on Amaravati – Freedom of Expression,” Justice Choudary highlighted that Article 19 (2) supplements Article 19 (1) (a) on freedom of speech by outlining the responsibilities that come with it, including how and where one should speak.
Justice Choudary, the main speaker, lamented the decline in values within the press. He recalled respected journalists like Mutnoori Krishnarao, Narla Venkateswara Rao, C Raghavachari, and ABK Prasad, whose integrity he believes is missing in today’s media. He urged journalists to avoid publishing false and fabricated news and to verify facts before reporting. He stressed that news should not incite hatred but rather foster a sense of awareness in society.
Media Academy chairman Alapati Suresh Kumar presided over the session. He expressed concern over the false reports circulating in both print and social media claiming that Amaravati is completely submerged due to rains and floods. He said such misinformation hinders the state’s overall development, which has already been slow since the bifurcation of the unified state.
Political and social analyst T Lakshminarayana pointed out that floods are a natural occurrence in many regions, citing examples of Visakhapatnam, Hyderabad, Vijayawada, and other major cities. He emphasised that the rains in Amaravati are a natural phenomenon and building projects and dams could help conserve water for future use and replenish groundwater.
He stressed the need for the government to move forward with development projects in Amaravati by seeking advice from all sections of society, while also focusing on irrigation efforts in the backward regions of Rayalaseema and Uttarandhra.
Prominent historian Papineni Sai highlighted Amaravati’s rich historical legacy, spanning thousands of years under Buddhist, Jain, and other rulers. He called it a moment of pride for Telugu people that the region is once again becoming a capital after 1,500 years, aspiring to be a political, social, economic, and cultural hub like Mumbai and Kolkata.
Jonnalagadda Kiran, an Amaravati-area farmer, asserted that Amaravati belongs not just to its farmers but to all the people of the state.
Amaravati JAC leader Tirupathi Rao, farmers, and a large number of media professionals were present.
