Fact Check: Image of Telugupost.com editor is misidentified as Pinnelli’s counsel
The Palnadu police has registered cases against Macharla YCP MLA Pinnelli Ramakrishan Reddy for destroying an EVM during the May 13 polls. He was caught on camera destroying the EVM at Macharla of Palnadu region, where violence took place during the polling and post polls too.
Claim :
The image shows the lawyer of YSRCP leader Pinnelli Ramakrishna Reddy who was caught breaking an EVM in a polling boothFact :
The image does not show lawyer representing YSRCP MLA Pinnelli Ramakrishna Reddy, he is a senior journalist and editor in Telugupost.com
The Palnadu police has registered cases against Macharla YCP MLA Pinnelli Ramakrishan Reddy for destroying an EVM during the May 13 polls. He was caught on camera destroying the EVM at Macharla of Palnadu region, where violence took place during the polling and post polls too.
The AP High Court granted conditional anticipatory bail to him and directed the officials concerned not to arrest or take any action against him till June 6. The advocate who appeared in court on behalf of the MLA was Niranjan Reddy.
Meanwhile, a collage of images is in circulation on social media claiming that one of the images is the picture of the counsel of Pinnelli Ramakrishna Reddy. Surprisingly, these images show the editor of Telugupost.com. The collage of images also feature Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy, advisor to the Andhra Pradesh Government in white shirt and another image of Srinivasa Ravi Batchali, Editor of Telugupost.com,
The message claimed that he is the lawyer fighting Pinnelli’s case.
The caption on the image in Telugu goes: “ప్రతి ఒక్క వైసీపీ నేరస్తుడి కేసు వాదించడానికి ఆ నిరంజన్ రెడ్డి అనే లాయరే ఎందుకు వస్తున్నాడు...! ఇతడు కోర్టులో తన వాదనలో లోకేష్ పిర్యాదు చేయడం వల్లే ఈసి చర్యలకు అదేశించింది అని అంటాడు.. అవును 13వ తేదీన ఈ సంఘటన జరిగితే స్టేట్ ఎన్నికల కమీషనర్ కాని.. స్టేట్ CS కానీ 20 తేదీ వరకు రిపోర్టు చేయక పోవడం వల్లనే ఈ దేశంలో ఒక పౌరుడు అయిన లోకేష్ బాబు ప్రజాస్వామ్యం అపహాస్యం అవుతుంటే తన భాధ్యతగా కేంద్ర ఎన్నికల కమిషన్ కు రిపోర్టు చేశాడు.. " మీ సియస్.. స్టేట్ ఎన్నికల కమీషనర్ చెయ్యలేని పని లోకేష్ బాబు చేశాడు.. అవును ఈ నిరంజన్ రెడ్డి గుర్తు తెలియని వ్యక్తి అని FIR లో వ్రాశారు అంటాడు అంటే ఇతడికి యంయల్ఏ పిన్నెల్లి కాని పిన్నెల్లి పగలగొట్టిన ఈవియం మషిన్ ఆ విడియోలో కనిపించడం లేదా..! తమాషా ఏమీటంటే ఈ సంఘటన మీద చర్యలు తీసుకోవాలసి ఎన్నికల కమిషనర్.. చర్యలు తీసుకోలేదు సరికదా..! ఇతడు ఆ వీడియో లీక్ చేసిన వారిపై ఎంక్వయిరీ చేయాలని చెప్పడం చూస్తే! పిన్నెల్లి రామకృష్ణారెడ్డి ఈవీయంలను పగలగొట్టిన విషయం ఇతడికి ముందే తెలుసా అనే అనుమానాలు ప్రజల మనసుల్లో వ్యక్తం అవుతున్నాయి..!”
When translated, it claims: “Why is that lawyer Niranjan Reddy alone coming to plead the case of every YCP criminal...! In his argument in the court, he says that the EC ordered the action only because of Lokesh's complaint.. Yes, if this incident happened on May 13, neither the state election commissioner… or the State CS did not complain till May 20 but because Lokesh Babu, a citizen of this country who reported about the incident feeling that it was his responsibility to complain as democracy was being mocked.
Lokesh Babu has done what the CS or State Election Commissioner could not do. What is funny is that the Election Commissioner has not taken action on this incident.. Why did Niranjan Reddy, in his FIR, mention that it was an unidentified person? Could he not see MLA Pinnelli smashing the EVM in the video? The most significant thing is the Election Commissioner who is supposed to take action had not taken any action. If you see him asking to inquire into those who leaked the video, the public would have a suspicion if he had prior knowledge about smashing of EVM..!
Fact Check:
The claim is False. The image shared belongs to Mr. Srinivasa Ravi Batchali, Editor of Telugupost.com. With thirty years of experience in Print / Electronic & social media, he has an illustrious career in leading daily newspapers. He worked as a senior reporter in leading newspaper Eenadu, and as a news co-ordinator in Maa TV, HMTV. He is very creative and a tenacious reporter of the news with a reputation for impeccable ethics. His passion for community journalism and his work as a staff reporter is widely acclaimed. An excellent storyteller who treats news, features and other events with equal priority.
Mr. Srinivasa Ravi never attended law school nor does he have any experience relating to legal issues. The image of the esteemed journalist which is available online was picked up to make a false claim.
We could not find any photographs published online of Niranjan Kumar Reddy, lawyer of Pinnelli Ramakrishna Reddy.
Logically Facts also debunked the claim.
Hence, the image of senior Journalist and editor of Telugupost.com, Srinivasa Ravi Batchali has been misidentified as lawyer Niranjan Kumar Reddy, lawyer of Pinnelli Ramakrishna Reddy. The claim is False.
