It used to be uncommon to criticise Speakers or Governors in the past, but it has now become common to fault them. Their behaviour too has become so brazen that such criticism is justified. Now it is the turn of the judiciary to be openly criticized, derided and even abused.
YSRCP government advisor Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy during his press conference on September 16 over the order by the High Court on ACB FIR on the so-called Amaravati land scam, attacked the judiciary in no uncertain terms. Being a member of Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s coterie, his criticism of courts and judges can be taken as that of Jagan himself.
What infuriated Ramakrishna Reddy is the order by the High Court that no contents of the FIR filed by ACB against a former Advocate General and others regarding purchase of lands in Amaravati be revealed. The FIR looked like just a photocopy of allegations by YSRCP leaders, ministers and Cabinet Sub-Committee on Amaravati ‘land scam’.
Attacking the High Court order, Ramakrishna Reddy said the judiciary was itself to blame if people lose confidence in courts. He also said the court curbs were intended to “protect former AG and daughters of a Supreme Court judge”. He said the case ultimately leads to the door of former CM Chandrababu Naidu. He lamented that the HC decision set a new precedent.
It has become a routine for the YSRCP government to appeal in Supreme Court against any decision by the HC which is not in its favour. Despite repeated setbacks even in the apex court, the objective of the government is to make people lose their confidence in the High Court. In this case too, Ramakrishna Reddy said the government will knock the SC door.
He alleged the role of ‘influential persons’ behind the HC gag order and also remarked that people are asking whether courts favour influential people. Denying any vindictive agenda behind FIR as alleged by Naidu, he said veracity of state government’s allegations will be proved only by CBI probe. Ramakrishna Reddy said the gag order was against the media and the ‘system’.
