What began as a fiery protest for student rights has ended in a legal victory for Telugu cinema stalwart Mohan Babu and his son Vishnu Manchu. The Supreme Court has struck down the FIR filed against them over a 2019 rally demanding long-overdue student fee reimbursements in Andhra Pradesh, ruling that their actions fell well within constitutional bounds.
Back in March 2019, the streets of Tirupati echoed with slogans led by Mohan Babu, his sons Vishnu and Manoj, and key staff of Sri Vidyaniketan Educational Institutions. Their demand? That the government stop sitting on crores owed to students under the state’s fee reimbursement scheme. But with elections around the corner, the protest didn’t sit well with officials. A complaint came from the Model Code of Conduct Officer, claiming the demonstration blocked traffic for hours. Soon, an FIR followed, charging the group with public nuisance, obstruction, and more — invoking the Indian Penal Code and even the colonial-era Police Act of 1861.
The Andhra Pradesh High Court refused to dismiss the case, stating it didn’t meet the narrow tests laid down in the Bhajan Lal judgment — the go-to framework for quashing criminal proceedings in rare cases.
But the top court saw things differently.
Justices BV Nagarathna and KV Viswanathan found the charges hollow. Not one section cited in the FIR, said the court, held water when examined against the facts. No obstruction. No public injury. No electoral misconduct. No breach of peace. Just citizens exercising their right to be heard.
In words as clear as they were decisive, the court said continuing with the prosecution would serve no purpose. The protest, it noted, was an exercise of the fundamental right to free speech and peaceful assembly — not a criminal act.
With that, the criminal cloud hanging over the actor-educator and his son has been lifted. The rally that once drew the ire of the administration has now found vindication in the court’s ruling — a reminder that dissent, when peaceful, is a protected cornerstone of democracy.
