The Andhra Pradesh government seems to blame everyone else but itself for its failures. In the latest move, the Jagan sarkar had axed the Advocate On Record for losing crucial cases in the Supreme Court.
On Monday, the Andhra Pradesh government removed Advocate on Record G Nageshwar Reddy replacing him with Moazzam Naqvi. Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy was mighty displeased with Advocate on Record G Nageshwar Reddy for losing important cases relating to removal of party colours and postponement of civic body elections by SEC. Jagan was of the view that Advocate on Record G Nageshwar Reddy had failed to present the arguments of the government effectively in the Supreme Court thereby leading to a loss of face for the government in the Supreme Court. Advocate on Record is an advocate who is entitled under the Order IV of the Supreme Court Rules, 2013 (previously Order IV of the Supreme Court of India Rules, 1966), framed under Article 145 of the Constitution, to act as well as to plead for a party in the Supreme Court of India.
Recently, the Supreme Court had dismissed the Andhra Pradesh government’s plea challenging Andhra Pradesh High Court order to remove the ruling party’s colours from government buildings and panchayat offices. The Jagan government, represented by lawyer G N Reddy, claimed that the colours were in no way related to the YSRCP flag. However, the Supreme Court had observed, “There is no ambiguity in the direction issued by the High Court that any colour which is similar to the flag of any political party should not be used for painting gram panchayat buildings.”
Prior to this case, the AP government lost its case in the Supreme Court over postponement of civic elections by the then SEC Nimmagadda Ramesh Kumar.
The Opposition parties decried Jagan sarkar for its attempts to disobey court orders saying it amounted to subversion of the rule of law and that public confidence in the judiciary would be eroded if its orders were not obeyed. However, Jagan instead of viewing it as subversion of the law had sacked Advocate On General.
In the past two months or so, the Jagan government seems to be in a sacking spree mode. Earlier, the government had suspended Dr Sudhakar Rao who served as civil surgeon at the Narsipatnam government hospital and Nagari municipal commissioner K Venkatrami Reddy for “adverse comments” on the government with regard to the coronavirus crisis. Both Dr Sudhakar Rao and Venkatrami Reddy in their respective videos raised voices of dissent over shortage of medical equipment as masks, gloves and necessary gear to fight Covid-19. A week ago, Madhavi, assistant general manager of Guntur District Cooperative Central Bank Ltd, was suspended for posting the widely circulated Jagan’s comments that popping Paracetamol and spraying bleaching powder can cure coronavirus. The CID immediately swung into action and checked the bank employee’s Facebook account and her Whatsapp. After conducting a thorough analysis, the CID submitted a report to the Jagan government. Subsequently, the Andhra Pradesh government suspended the bank employee. However, it is learnt that the bank employee received Jagan’s ‘Paracetamol’, bleaching powder comments in her Whatsapp group. Her children apparently had forwarded the message and also posted the same on Madhavi’s facebook account.
