India, Aug. 4 -- In a great relief to political, social and human rights activists in the country who have been alarmed at the shrinking democratic space for protests, especially in the National Capital Delhi, the Supreme Court on July 31, 2025 quashed a First Information Report (FIR) registered against Telugu actor and film producer Manchu Mohan Babu and his son Manchu Vishnu Vardhan Babu. The FIR was filed against them in connection with a protest rally held in 2019 over non-payment of student fee reimbursements in Andhra Pradesh.

The Supreme Court bench comprising Justices BV Nagarathna and KV Viswanathan quashed the FIR, setting aside the Andhra Pradesh High Court's refusal to quash the criminal proceedings against Babu and his son....