In yet another tight slap to the Jagan government, the Andhra Pradesh High Court on Tuesday suspended the GO 623 of the state government which tried to circumvent the court’s earlier directive to remove the party colours on the government buildings and panchyat offices by adding one more color.
Hearing a petition filed by advocate Somayajulu challenging the GO 623 on Tuesday, the High Court observed that the state government was trying to undermine the court’s directive by trying to circumvent its order by adding one more colour to the existing three colours.
The High Court directed the AG to file a counter affidavit by May 19. The court was of the view that circumventing the court’s directive amounts to contempt of court and will be forced to issue contempt notices against Chief Secretary Nilam Sawhney and Principal Secretary (Panchayat Raj) Gopalakrishna Dwivedi.
In a recent directive, the AP High Court ordered the state government to remove party colours on panchayat offices and government buildings. However, the government was in no mood to honor the court’s directive and issued GO 623. Through the GO, the Jagan government cleverly tried to circumvent the HC directive by asking officials to add one more colour –mud colour signifying earth. In the GO, the YSRCP ruling gave a new meaning to the colours. The government argued that Green symbolizes green revolution (agriculture), Blue colour for blue revolution (water resources and acqua wealth), White colour for white revolution (milk and milk products).
Earlier, a petition filed by Muppa Venkateswara Rao challenging the state government move to paint the government buildings with party colours and pleaded the the High Court to direct the state government to remove the colours as it could influence voters during the civic body elections.
Last month, the High Court had noted that the manner in which entire the issue is being dealt with by the state government compels the court to think and observe that the state government was not removing the colours associated with the ruling YSRCP, from the walls of panchayat offices and other government buildings with an eye on the elections to civic bodies. The advocate general sought three months time and informed the High Court that the colours can be removed only once the lockdown is completely lifted and that the government will inform the court time needed to remove the party colours in the next hearing. Refusing to give three months time, the HC pulled up the government for dragging its feet on the issue. “We will give three months time with a condition that the state government will not hold elections till that time,” the High Court observed.
Recently, the state government also stated that it will move the Supreme Court challenging the HC’s order of scrapping the GO to make English medium of instruction compulsory in the government schools
