K Srinivas, editor of the Telugu daily Andhra Jyothy, was released from the Chanchalguda jail on Friday evening, along with two other journalists from the same newspaper, 24 hours after a local court had granted them bail.
Though the surety of Rs 10,000 each was submitted to the court and necessary documents were handed over to the jail authorities in the morning, the release was delayed till evening due to the non-completion of formalities by the officials.
The three journalists, who were arrested by the police on Tuesday night under the Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of atrocities) Act, were given a warm welcome by a large number of journalists, who had been waiting for them since morning.
Srinivas acknowledged that they were released due to the effective fight put up by the journalists, civil society groups and the political parties.
"Journalists put up an united fight against the threat to the freedom of press. If we do not continue to work with the same spirit, the freedom of press will remain under threat," he said.
Meanwhile, over a dozen journalists were arrested in Tirupati today, when they tried to stage a protest at an event attended by Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy.
The journalists, wearing black badges, had gathered at the venue of the Chief Minister's programme and wanted to block his way, when the police took them in to custody and sent them to Trichnur police station.
On the other hand, workers of the Madiga Reservation Porata Samiti held a rail roko in Khammam, demanding the arrest of Andhra Jyothy managing director V Radhakrishna. The complaint lodged by the Samiti, against the three journalists of Andhra Jyothy, had led to their arrest.
The workers shouted slogans against the newspaper and even managed to stop the Inter City Express for some time. They threatened to intensify their agitation unless Radhakrishna was arrested.