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5 arrested for posting derogatory content against judges: CBI
The CJI recently passed stern remarks on the working of the CBI and other agencies with regard to complaints raised by judges.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said on Saturday it has arrested five people in the last one month for allegedly posting derogatory content on social media against judges and the judiciary, a remark that came two days after a bench headed by Chief Justice of India NV Ramana lamented that CBI and other agencies “are not helping the judiciary at all”.
To be sure, the arrests have been made in an unrelated case, in which probe was launched by CBI in November last year on the orders of the Andhra Pradesh high court. Of the five people, two were arrested on Saturday for allegedly posting defamatory content against Andhra Pradesh high court and Supreme Court judges, an officer said on condition of anonymity.
The central agency took over 12 First Information Reports (FIRs), registered by the state Crime Investigation Division between April and July 2020 on the complaint of Registrar General of Andhra Pradesh high court, and clubbed all these into a single case.
In its FIR registered on November 11, the agency named 16 people as accused and charged them under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including section 506 (criminal intimidation), and Section 67 of the IT Act.
“It was alleged that the accused, by intentionally targeting the judiciary, made derogatory posts on social media platforms against judges and judiciary, following some court verdicts delivered by the judges of the high court of Andhra Pradesh,” said CBI spokesperson RC Joshi.
The five people arrested have been identified as Pattapu Aadarsh and Lavanuru Samba Siva Reddy from Andhra Pradesh (arrested on Saturday); Dhami Reddy Konda Reddy and Pamula Sudheer (arrested on July 28) and Lingareddy Rajasekhar Reddy (arrested on July 9 on his arrival from Kuwait).
“We were monitoring Lingareddy’s movements. The moment he landed in India, the officers took him into their custody,” the officer cited above said.
According to the officer, the agency has also examined a Lok Sabha member N Suresh, and former MLA Amanchi Krishnamohan – both belonging to the YSR Congress – in connection with the case.
Of the 16 booked in connection with the case, 13 have been traced while the other three are settled abroad and efforts are on to nab them, said a second officer, asking not to be named.
“We have so far examined 11 out of the above 13 accused persons and arrested five. Evidence against the remaining six accused persons is being evaluated for further necessary legal action. CBI is pursuing to secure the presence of two other accused said to be abroad for their examination,” Joshi said.
The agency carried out searches on the premises of the accused that led to the information that one of them was allegedly using a passport in a different name, he said. “Action was also initiated by CBI, after it had registered this case to get objectionable posts removed from the social media platforms, public domains and a lot of such posts or accounts were removed from the internet,” he added.
Joshi said CBI has also sought cooperation from the channels of MLAT (mutual legal assistance treaties) and the Interpol to collect evidence from abroad.
On August 6, while hearing the case of a Jharkhand district judge’s murder, Justice Ramana passed stern remarks on the working of the CBI and other investigative agencies with regards to complaints raised by judges.
“In one or two places, the court ordered a CBI inquiry. I am very sorry to say that the CBI has done nothing in more than one year. At one place, I know, the CBI has done nothing. I think we have expected some changes in CBI’s attitude. But there is no change in the attitude of the CBI...They think it is not a priority item for them. The IB, CBI they are not helping the judiciary at all...,” the CJI had said while hearing a suo motu case on the issue of safeguarding courts and protecting judges in the wake of a recent incident of the alleged mowing down of a judge in Dhanbad.
