Hyderabad, Oct 15 (Maxim News): The Telangana High Court on Thursday, October 15, directed the state government to extend the validity of media accreditation cards issued in 2022 to eligible working journalists until November 25, 2026.
A division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice P Sam Koshy and Justice S Chalapathi Rao passed the order while hearing a batch of petitions filed separately by the Telangana Urdu Working Journalists’ Federation (TUWJF) and others.
The petitioners have challenged the state government’s revised eligibility criteria for media accreditation under the Telangana Media Accreditation Rules, 2025.
The bench also scheduled the underlying challenge to the new rules for final hearing on November 25, giving the dispute over accreditation eligibility another key date.
New Accreditation Rules Under Legal Challenge
The case concerns the Telangana Media Accreditation Rules, 2025, approved by the state government in December 2025 to replace the 2016 norms. The rules were notified through Government Order (GO) 252 on December 22, 2025, and subsequently amended through GO 103 on January 24, 2026.
The revised framework brought digital news platforms under the accreditation system for the first time, while introducing stricter eligibility requirements across media categories.
Under the rules, print publications must demonstrate a minimum daily circulation of 2,000 copies and hold registration with the Press Registrar General of India.
Digital news outlets, meanwhile, must record at least 500,000 monthly unique visitors over the preceding six months. Accreditation for digital platforms has also been capped at 10 cards across Telangana.
The TUWJF and other journalist associations approached the High Court soon after the revised rules were introduced, challenging GO 252 and its subsequent amendment. They argued that the eligibility conditions, which include circulation figures, income thresholds, broadcast time and digital visitor counts, were arbitrary and illegal.
Telangana High Court Grants Repeated Extensions
In February 2026, the same division bench had directed that accreditation cards valid at the time should remain in force until April 30, 2026. The court also granted the state government time to submit its response to the petitions.
However, the renewal process had not been completed by the deadline, prompting the matter to return before a vacation bench in May.
During those proceedings, the TUWJF informed the court that delays in renewing accreditation cards were creating practical difficulties for working journalists.
The Additional Advocate General assured the court that the validity of the existing cards would be extended until June 16, 2026. The court directed the authorities to strictly comply with that undertaking.
Thursday’s order extends the validity of eligible journalists’ 2023 accreditation cards until November 25, 2026, continuing a series of interim extensions while the legal challenge remains pending.
The High Court is scheduled to take up the main challenge to the Telangana Media Accreditation Rules, 2025, for final hearing on November 25. (Maxim News)
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