In major embarassement to the Jagan government, legal experts in the Supreme Court found several loopholes and anamolies in the Special Leave Petition filed by the Andhra Pradesh government challenging the High Court’s directive to reinstate Nimmagadda Ramesh Kumar as State Election Commissioner.
The lawyers, according to sources, were aghast over the anamolies in the Special Leave Petition and asked by the Andhra Pradesh government to file a fresh petition. Following this, the government has decided to file three fresh petitions to challenge the High Court order to reinstate Ramesh Kumar.
The state government seems to have caught itself in the wrong foot in handling Nimagadda Ramesh Kumar issue and got entangled in a legal imbroglio. In a set back to the Jagan government, former BJP minister Kamineni Srinivas filed a Caveat petition in the Supreme Court challenging the Special Leave Petition filed by the Andhra Pradesh government against the High Court’s directive to reinstate Nimmagadda Ramesh Kumar as State Election Commissioner. Kamineni Srinivas had already filed a petition in the High Court challenging the Jagan government’s ordinance to remove Ramesh Kumar as SEC.
Through the Caveat petition, the former BJP minister pleaded the Supreme Court not to issue a stay order on the verdict of the Andhra Pradesh High Court in the SEC case. Further, the former BJP minister stated that he had filed the Caveat petition with full consent and approval of the central BJP leadership, indicating that the Modi government could be mighty displeased with the way the state government was undermining the court verdicts. Kamineni Srinivas petition in the SC follows a Caveat petition filed by APPC working president Mastan Vali.
In an interesting twist to the legal battle, the Andhra Pradesh government on Tuesday has withdrawn a petition filed in the High Court to issue a stay on the verdict given in Ramesh Kumar’s case. The government has also withdrawn a stay petition in the High Court filed on behalf of Justice Kanagaraj.
It may be recalled that the Andhra Pradesh government in an act of political vendetta removed Ramesh Kumar as the SEC after he had put off the elections to civic bodies citing the spread of corona virus. In a brazen display of authoritarianism, the state government brought in an ordinance in a tearing hurry to remove Ramesh Kumar by reducing the SEC term from five to three years. Following this, Ramesh Kumar dashed off a letter to Union Home Ministry stating that there was a grave risk to his life and that he and his family members were receiving threat calls from the YSRCP leaders. Later, Ramesh Kumar had moved the High Court challenging the Andhra Pradesh government’s decision to remove him as SEC. At least 13 petitioners questioned the sanctity of the ordinance to remove Ramesh Kumar as SEC.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, who had to cancel his scheduled meet with Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday, is holding a high-level meeting at his camp office in Tadepalli with Rajya Sabha MP Vijaysai Reddy to discuss a host of issues. Enery minister Balineni Srinivas Reddy and Minister for Civil Supplies Kodali Nani are part of the high-level meeting. Although the agenda of the meeting is not known, political observers said Jagan had called for the meeting following cancellation of his scheduled meet with Amit Shah. Jagan is likely to discuss Nimmagadda Ramesh Kumar row and the vortex of legal disputes whether the High Court’s directive to remove party colours on government builindgs or scrapping of the GO to make English medium compulsory in government schools and several other litigations.
