Enquiry by the Anti-Corruption Bureau, unearthed a case against Tumma Vijaykumar Reddy, who misused his position as former Commissioner in Information and Public Relations Department with Ex-officio secretary by the Jagan regime had granted undue advantages to the Sakshi Patrika group and other channel operating at the behest. Between 2019 and 2024, the Sakshi Patrika managed to bag government advertisements valued at ₹371.12 crores. This translates to 43% of the spend in newspaper advertisement. The three TV channels put together could avail only ₹26.71 crores in advertisement through the same period.
The ACB has also established that the Sakshi Media Group, along with other pro-YSRCP channels, had received favors in the form of advertisements worth ₹16.17 crore, whereas the remaining media houses, including ABN Andhra Jyoti, TV5, and Mahanews, didn't get even a single advertisement or any payment towards the pending bills.
It has also uncovered aberrant recruitments of the employees of Sakshi Media Group to posts in I&PR Department and AP Digital Corporations. According to the findings of ACB, as many as 254 outsourcing employees have been recruited by violating the process. Among them, 137 have been posted in Digital Corporation and 117 have been posted in I&PR Department. The appointments, according to reports, are said to be done without observing norms on reservation and merit recruitment with recommendations from Ministers, MLAs and other YSRCP leaders.
On September 14, the ACB filed a case against Vijaykumar Reddy under sections 120B of the Indian Penal Code (criminal conspiracy) and sections 7, 13(2), and 13(1)(a) of the Prevention of Corruption Act. The case was filed on the complaint of AP Media Federation (APMF) General Secretary R. Dillibabu Reddy. The FIR has Vijaykumar Reddy as the prime accused, and many other unnamed persons are involved.
He is also alleged to have orally instructed his subordinates not to give advertisements on certain channels like ETV Andhra Pradesh, ABN Andhra Jyoti, TV5, and Mahanews. ETV Andhra Pradesh did not receive even a single advertisement from 2021 to 2023. Additionally, the outstanding TV5 bills of ₹3.95 crore were not paid and the channel had to take the matter to the High Court in 2022. In an identical way, Andhra Jyoti could not draw even a single advertisement between the years 2019 and 2024.
In contrast, Sakshi Patrika and its sister channels were prioritized for both advertisements and bill payments. For example, out of the total ₹859.29 crore that was spent on newspaper advertisements in the Jagan government period, ₹371.12 crore went to Sakshi.
This query came out that his activities did not meet the policy and government order issued many years ago by the Supreme Court. GO 431 dated July 23, 1984, by the Government of Andhra Pradesh lays down that there should be a proper allotment of advertisements considering the circulation of newspaper. The court of law also holds the view that freedom of the press should not be thwarted or belied and that all the media institutions must be treated in a just and fair manner.
