Andhra defends sedition case against YSRCP MP

The Andhra Pradesh government has denied torturing rebel YSR Congress Party Member of Parliament KR Krishnam Raju who is currently in police custody for sedition charge

The Andhra Pradesh government has denied torturing rebel YSR Congress Party Member of Parliament KR Krishnam Raju who is currently in police custody for sedition charge.

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Raju had approached the Supreme Court for bail early this week and sought urgent medical examination claiming that the Crime Investigation Department (CID) had tortured him in custody following his arrest on May 14.

Raju, who belongs to the ruling party in the state had claimed witch-hunt by Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy after he openly criticized the Government’s handling of the COVID-19 crisis and even demanded cancellation of bail granted to the Chief Minister in a corruption case. Raju claimed that he was a victim of political vengeance and had no faith in the state government-constituted Medical Board set up by the Andhra Pradesh High Court to examine him.

Filing a response to Raju’s plea, the state government through advocate Mahfooz A Nazki said, “The allegations about police torture are completely false and have been made pursuant to a design and are aimed solely to create euphoria around the arrest. Had there been an iota of truth in such allegations, the State would not have consented to examination of the petitioner (Raju).”

The statement of the state government assumes significance as it comes ahead of a crucial hearing in Supreme Court on Raju’s bail plea. On May 17, the Supreme Court had directed the Army Hospital, Secunderabad to form a medical board and examine the MP, video-graph the entire proceedings and submit its report to the Registrar General of the Telangana High Court in a sealed cover. This report will be opened by the Supreme Court on Friday based on which the Court will ascertain whether there was any truth in Raju’s allegation.

Referring to the various speeches and statements given by Raju on public forums, the state justified its action of registering FIR against the Member of Parliament. It said, “It is not a one-time slip or an error of judgment but the statements (by Raju) have been made in furtherance of a deliberate design and a conspiracy hatched by several individuals including the petitioner herein to create unrest in the State by dividing people on the basis of caste and religion.”

In doing so, Raju abused his authority and reach as a public person to create enmity between various class of citizens and excite disaffection towards the government, the state maintained. The affidavit further stated that being a MP does not offer any immunity to the petitioner. “On the contrary, being an elected representative to the Lok Sabha, the Petitioner owes a higher level of responsibility,” state submitted.

Raju in his petition filed through advocate Tatini Basu had claimed that his right to criticize the government was part of his fundamental right to free speech. But the state put a rider that such a right cannot extend to “creating a situation where public order is disturbed”. It produced speeches made by Raju over the past one year encouraging people of one religious community to beat and kill members of another religious group.

“The arrest was not a knee jerk reaction,” the state claimed. The words and actions of the petitioner MP were manifesting in actual violence across the state. It was then the state decided to register FIR. “It is a settled position of law that the police can register an offence suo moto….The petitioner cannot be heard to say that the state ought to have waited with folded hands till an actual complaint was filed,” the state government added.