Supreme Court Upholds Telangana HC Order: No Mechanical Arrests for Social Media Posts

• The Supreme Court upheld Telangana High Court guidelines on FIRs for social media posts, preventing mechanical arrests for critical political speeches.
• A bench of JB Pardiwala and Vijay Bishnoi dismissed Telangana's challenge, finding no reason to interfere with the High Court's judgment.
• The High Court had quashed three FIRs against Nalla Balu for posts criticizing the Indian National Congress, deeming them legitimate political expression.
• Guidelines mandate police to verify complainant's locus standi, conduct preliminary inquiries, and apply a high threshold for serious allegations.
• Police cannot automatically register cases for critical political speech unless it incites violence or threatens public order, reinforcing Article 19(1)(a) protections.