Anti-judiciary remarks: Andhra HC raps state govt for not filing cases against ruling YSR Cong leaders

A division bench, comprising Justices Rakesh Kumar and Uma Devi, said they would be left to feel that cases were not registered against the YSRC leaders only to save them.

The Andhra Pradesh High Court on Thursday observed that the comments against the judiciary made by some ruling YSR Congress leaders in social media were perilous to democracy and criticised the state government for not filing cases against them.

The court orally observed that comments of Assembly Speaker Tammineni Sitaram, Deputy Chief Minister Narayana Swamy, MPs V Vijayasai Reddy, Nandigam Suresh and other leaders of the ruling party in the state in the social media, amounted to an attack on the judiciary.

A division bench, comprising Justices Rakesh Kumar and Uma Devi, said they would be left to feel that cases were not registered against the YSRC leaders only to save them.

“If some ordinary person makes any comment against the government, cases are promptly registered against such persons.

When persons in positions made comments against the judges and the courts, why have cases not been filed? Looking at things, we are left to infer that a war has been declared on the judiciary,” the bench commented.

It said the case would be handed over to the CBI for investigation if the state Crime Investigation Department failed.

The judges asked the CID counsel if the Speaker made the comments (against the judiciary) in the Assembly or outside.

The counsel informed the bench that the Speaker made the comments on Tirumala Hills.

Since the social media companies are multinational, the bench said it would consider handing over the probe to the CBI and asked if the state had any objection to it.

Advocate General Sriram Subramaniam said they had no objection for a CBI probe if the Court did not make any comments or draw conclusions against the state government or the CID.

The bench reserved the order on this.

The bench on Thursday was hearing the case that it had taken cognizance on its own over the derogatory comments made in the social media against the High Court judges and the judiciary following a series of adverse verdicts against the ruling YSRC government.

The CID registered a case on the directions of the Court to probe the matter, based on a complaint filed by the Registrar General.

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