The High Court on Wednesday postponed the hearing on the affidavit filed by Nimmagadda. Ramesh Kumar who was removed by the state government as the State Election Commissioner.
The proceedings were conducted through video-conference. The High Court CJ Justice Jitendra Kumar Maheswari pulled up the AG for the large turnout at the video-conference. Around 40 people are believed to have participated in the video-conference. The HC CJ sought an explanation from the AG how such large number of people participated in the video-conference and asked this is not possible without the password being leaked. When the CJ was hearing the arguments that lasted for more than two hours, cross-talk interrupted the proceedings. The CJ got angry when there was cross-talk while the proceedings were being held. “How is it possible that such large number of people took part in video-conference? Such a thing is possible only if password is leaked,” the CJ fired.
After putting off the next hearing to Monday, the High Court informed that the next proceedings will be conducted in the court and not via video-conferencing. The CJ directed the DGP to issue passes to all the advocates involved in the case. The CJ directed the advocates to strictly maintain social distancing during the proceedings next Monday.
On Tuesday, the HC was hearing the arguments of both Ramesh Kumar and the state government. State Election Commission Secretary S Ramsundar Reddy informed the court that the petitioner Ramesh Kumar took the decision to defer the civic polls without consulting the State government officials concerned. Through the affidavit, Ramesh Kumar reportedly argued that the SEC had the discretionary powers to defer the elections to civic bodies and was under no obligation to reveal the factors that led to the postponement of the elections.
More than 13 petitions were filed challenging the government’s decision to remove Ramesh Kumar through an ordinance which had reduced the tenure of the SEC to three years from five years. Governor Biswabhusan Harichandan approved the the ordinance, amending the AP Panchayat Raj Act, 1994, thereby curtailing the SEC’s tenure from five to three years and also appointing a retired High Court judge Kanagaraj to the post.
The ordinance was challenged by former ministers Vadde Sobhanadreeswara Rao, Kamineni Srinivas, CPI state secretary K Ramakrishna and an advocate Yogesh, also filed petitions challenging the ordinance and the removal of the SEC. Subsequently, the Andhra Pradesh High Court directed the state government to file an affidavit on the removal of N Ramesh Kumar as the SEC.
Leader of Opposition and TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu condemned the ousting of Ramesh Kumar as SEC, stating that Ramesh Kumar had saved people’s lives by postponing the local body polls in view of the pandemic.
