The Andhra Pradesh High Court has fumed at the Jagan government for its failure to initiate any action against YSRCP MPs and MLAs despite making adverse comments against the courts and judiciary.
Hearing a petition on Thursday, the High Court questioned why the government has not filed cases against the MPs and MLAs who tried to lower the dignity of the judiciary. Without mincing words, the High Court said, “The government has been proactively filing cases against individuals who are being critical of the government or its policies. Why is the government silent when it comes to its own MPs and MLAs who have been making adverse remarks against the judiciary.” The HC bench, while hearing a petition filed by the High Court in-charge registrar, expressed displeasure that the CID (Crime Investigation Department) stated that it had failed to act on cases filed over negative social media posts on the HC judges.
The HC observed that if the CID has failed to file cases against the YSRCP leaders for making objectionable comments against the judiciary, the case should be handed over to the CBI for a thorough investigation. “It seems there is a deliberate direct attack on the judiciary which is not a healthy sign in a democracy,” the court observed.
The petitioner brought to the notice of the court that several YSRCP leaders made objectionable remarks against the judiciary, including Deputy CM Narayanaswamy, Assembly Speaker Tammineni Sitaram, Rajya Sabha MP Vijayasai Reddy, Lok Sabha MP Nandigam Suresh and Amanchi Krishna Mohan.
Sitaram had questioned the High Court’s recent verdicts against the state government’s policy decisions. Sitaram had commented that there was no need for the people to elect MLAs and MPs if the courts can decide what the state government should do. “What is the purpose of elections? It appears that the judges want to run the affairs of the government. Can the state be ruled from court halls. If that is the case, is there a need to elect a chief minister, MLAs or MPs,” he had commented.
Hearing the petition, the High Court fumed at Sitaram stating that it was unbecoming on the part of the Speaker to make such comments.
On his part, Vijayasai Reddy made questionable remarks against the Andhra Pradesh judiciary. “The AP judiciary is not impartial and it has to be stopped. It is unfortunate that courts are hindering the investigation into scams. As lawmakers, we have the right to raise the issue in Parliament and speak about the functioning of the judiciary in AP,” Vijaysai Reddy had stated in Rajya Sabha, .
The High Court had initiated contempt proceedings against YSRCP MP Nandigam Suresh and 48 others for intimidating judges of the Supreme Court and the High Court, besides using abusive language against them. Amanchi Krishna Mohan, another YSRCP leader, had found fault with the High Court directive to the CBI to probe the police highhandedness against Dr Sudhakar Rao.
The court had sent contempt notices to both the leaders for their comments lowering the dignity of the court. Nandigam Suresh had accused former CM Chandrababu Naidu of managing the High Court. He had alleged that Naidu was privy to court verdicts prior to 30 minutes or 10 minutes of its pronouncements.
In the most sensational statement undermining the judiciary and casting aspersions on the courts, transport minister Perni Venkataramaiah had alleged that some people who worked for the TDP are now in the judiciary to work for the benefit of TDP president and former chief minister Chandrababu Naidu.
YRCP Lok Sabha MP Midhun Reddy had stated in the Parliament that Andhra Pradesh High Court was curbing media freedom in the state. His statement came a day after the High Court issued a gag order restraining the media from publishing or airing stories regarding an FIR in the Amaravati land case.
The HC bench expressed anguish that such comments have lowered the dignity of the judiciary, one of the three pillars of democracy. Such remarks, the court, observed that might lead to internal strife and erode the public confidence in the judiciary.
