The Central Bureau of Investigation has booked 16 individuals and other unknown persons on the allegation that they intentionally targeted some judges of the Supreme Court and the Andhra Pradesh High Court through interviews to the media, posted abusive comments and issued threats on social media platforms.
The agency has taken over the probe into 12 cases earlier registered by the Cyber Crime unit of the Amaravati CID, following the Andhra Pradesh High Court’s directive on October 12.
Several provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the Information Technology Act, alleging intentional provoking, promoting enmity, hatred or ill-will, criminal intimidation, and publishing or transmitting obscene material in the electronic form, have been invoked.
Objectionable posts
The High Court order mentioned that on May 22, different Benches of the court had passed orders with respect to some petitions, against the orders and actions of the State government and its functionaries. “Immediately thereafter, the social media was flooded with objectionable posts. Even the persons occupying high position went to the media and gave interviews against the High Court and its judges, that too, from the party office belonging to a political party, which is in power,” it read.
The FIR states that the cases were initially registered by the CID on the complaints lodged by the Registrar General of the Andhra Pradesh High Court.
They alleged that key personnel occupying posts of prominence in the State intentionally targeted the judges, gave interviews, speeches, uploaded social media posts, and attributed motives to some judges of the Supreme Court and the High Court in delivering orders/judgments. They allegedly posted abusive, life threatening and intimidating posts against the judges on Facebook and Twitter over the recent judgments/orders delivered by the High Court judges.
Those named as accused in the FIR are Konda Reddy Dhamireddy, Mani Annapureddy, Sudheer Pamula, Adarsh Reddy, Abhishek Reddy, Siva Reddy, Sridhar Reddy Avuthu, Jalagam Venkata Satya Narayana, G. Sridhar Reddy, Linga Reddy, Chandu Reddy, Srinath Suswaram, Kishore Reddy Darisa, Chiranjeevi, Linga Reddy Rajasekhar Reddy, and K. Gowthami.