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Follow the law, HC to Andhra govt on rebel YSR Cong MP’s plea for arrest shield
The Andhra high court’s directive came on a petition by the rebel MP Kanumuru Raghu Ramakrishna Raju who has not travelled to Andhra Pradesh since his release on bail granted by the Supreme Court in May 2021
HYDERABAD: The Andhra Pradesh high court on Friday directed the state government to follow due process of law in the event of registering any fresh cases against Member of Parliament (MP) Kanumuru Raghu Ramakrishna Raju during his visit to Bhimavaram town in West Godavari district on July 3 and 4.
The high court was hearing a petition filed by Raju, rebel leader of Andhra Pradesh’s ruling YSR Congress, that sought protection against police action to let him participate in an event to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his constituency on July 4.
The event has been organised to celebrate the 125th birth anniversary of revolutionary freedom fighter Alluri Sitarama Raju in Bhimavaram
On Raju’s plea for a direction to the police not to take any coercive action against him, since there were 10 criminal cases registered against him, justice Ch Manavendranath Roy said it gave such a direction in the past and as such, there is no need for any fresh directions.
“However, if any new cases are filed against the MP during his visit to Bhimavaram on July 3 and 4, the high court judge asked the government and the police to follow due process of law, like giving prior notice for arrest and prosecution,” Raju’s lawyer P V G Umesh Chandra said.
The court said there was no need for any additional security cover to the MP since he had “Y” category security cover and the Centre had upgraded his security to ‘Z’ level during his visit to Bhimavaram.
Raju, a member of ruling YSR Congress party representing Narasapuram parliamentary constituency, has been a bitter critic of his party president and chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy for the last two years. He has been facing a disqualification petition filed by the party before Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla in July 2020 and it has been pending disposal.
On May 14, 2021, the rebel MP was arrested by the Andhra Crime Investigation Department (CID) police at his Hyderabad residence after filing a case against him under various sections, including 124A (sedition), 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth or residence) and 505 (1)(b) (making statements amounting to mischief).
Acting on a petition filed by Raju that he was subjected to physical torture by the CID police in their custody, the Supreme Court ordered that he be shifted to military hospital in Hyderabad for treatment and later granted him bail on May 21.
Since then, he has been staying in New Delhi and has not been coming to his constituency fearing that he might be framed in various other cases for criticising the Jagan government and arrested.
Now that Modi is coming to his constituency, he wants to attend the meeting as he is the local MP, but is apprehensive that he might not be allowed to attend the meeting and share the dais with the chief minister.
Last week, Raju moved the high court seeking quashing of all the CID cases against him. The court, however, ruled that the CID could question the MP in all the cases other than the sedition case, but it should be done only at Dilkusha Guest House in Hyderabad in the presence of his lawyer from 10 am to 5 pm.
It further said the CID should confine its questioning only to the cases filed against the MP, but not with regard to other issues. It also directed that Raju should not be called to the CID offices and everything should be done only in the presence of his lawyers.
