The Congress government in Telangana has constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe allegations of fake news, violation of privacy and indecent representation of a serving woman IAS officer, following a formal complaint filed by Jayesh Ranjan, IAS, Special Chief Secretary to the Government of Telangana and Secretary of the Telangana IAS Officers’ Association.
According to official records, the complaint was received on 10 January 2026 and relates to a news item published and telecast on 8 January 2026 by the Telugu television channel NTV. The Telangana IAS Officers’ Association alleged that the telecast carried false, fabricated and baseless allegations against a serving woman IAS officer, resulting in a serious violation of her privacy and dignity.
The complaint stated that the broadcast insinuated an alleged personal relationship with a political leader and attempted to link the officer’s official postings to such claims, including references to so-called “comfort postings”. The Association said these claims misrepresented established administrative processes and undermined the credibility of the civil services and the constitutional framework governing postings and transfers.
Although the telecast did not explicitly name the officer, the complaint alleged that oblique references, including details of her previous postings, clearly pointed to her identity, stripping her of anonymity and exposing her to public scrutiny and potential safety risks.
The complaint further stated that on 9 January 2026, a video titled “Reventh Reddy Intelligence Surveillance on Ministers – Komatireddy Venkat Reddy” was uploaded on the YouTube channel Signal TV Telugu, which allegedly replayed portions of the NTV telecast and carried unsubstantiated allegations affecting the dignity and morality of the woman IAS officer.
The complaint named Telugu Scribe on X (formerly Twitter) and the YouTube channels MR Media Telangana, Prime9 Telangana, PVNEWS, Signal TV Telugu, Volga Times, MirrorTvOfficial and Tnews Telugu as having circulated and amplified the content following the NTV telecast.
The Telangana IAS Officers’ Association accused NTV, its management, editors, reporters and anchors, along with associated social media handlers, of acting in concert. It further alleged that the broadcast employed sexually coloured remarks, double-meaning expressions and insinuations, amounting to indecent representation of a woman officer.
Based on the complaint, a case was registered at CCS, Hyderabad, invoking Sections 75, 78, 79 and 352 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, Section 67 of the Information Technology Act, 2000, and Sections 3 and 4 of the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986. The complaint also asserted a violation of the officer’s fundamental right to live with dignity under Article 21 of the Constitution of India.
Reacting to this, State Minister Sridhar Babu Duddilla said, “We firmly reject the baseless reports circulating in the media and on social platforms against senior government leaders and IAS officers, as such misinformation undermines officials who are sincerely working for the state’s development.”
We firmly reject the baseless reports circulating in the media and on social platforms against senior government leaders and IAS officers, as such misinformation undermines officials who are sincerely working for the state’s development. We would like to make it clear that there… pic.twitter.com/H4LnOLAgvh
— Sridhar Babu Duddilla (@OffDSB) January 13, 2026
In view of the seriousness of the allegations, the Office of the Director General of Police, Telangana, on January 12, constituted a Special Investigation Team under the overall supervision of V. C. Sajjanar, IPS, Commissioner of Police, Hyderabad City.
The SIT is headed by N. Swetha, IPS, Joint Commissioner of Police, North Range, and includes senior officers from the Cyber Crimes Wing, Crime Intelligence Cell, V&E Department and CCS, Hyderabad City.
However, critics argue that this is a textbook style of Congress leaders attacking each other to settle political scores, suggesting that the news channel may have acted with the consent of the party’s top brass.
