Kottayan Katankot Venugopal known as KK Venugopal, the Attorney General of India has expressed his reluctance to initiate criminal contempt charges against AP CM YS Jaganmohan Reddy and IAS officer Ajeya Kallam for having alleged Judge NV Ramana of political bias and corruption. He termed that it would not be appropriate for him to intervene as the Chief Justice of India is considering the matter and hence declined to act. However, the AG made it clear that the actions of the AP CM and his advisor were prima facie contumacious.
“I am of the opinion that the timing itself of the letter as well as it being placed in the public domain through a press conference could certainly be said to suspect, in the background of the order passed by Justice NV Ramana dated 16.09.2020, directing pending prosecution of elected representatives to be taken up and disposed of expeditiously,” the AG said in his reply to the BJP leader and advocate Ashwini Upadhyay, adding that the Andhra Pradesh CM faces 31 pending criminal cases.
