KADAPA: The Kadapa district principal district court on Thursday issued interim orders restraining AP Congress Committee president YS Sharmila, her cousin Narreddy Suneetha, TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu, JSP chief Pawan Kalyan, and others from making defamatory comments against Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and YSRC Kadapa MP candidate YS Avinash Reddy in regard to the assassination of former minister YS Vivekananda Reddy five years ago.

The court directed the respondents to refrain from calling Avinash Reddy the ‘murderer’ of his uncle Vivekananda Reddy and also that Jagan is shielding him.

The YSRC had its Kadapa district president K Suresh Babu file a petition before the principal district judge, seeking orders from the court to restrain the respondents from making insinuations against Jagan and Avinash with respect to Viveka’s murder.

Besides Sharmila, Suneetha and Naidu, TDP national general secretary Nara Lokesh, BJP State chief Daggubati Purandeswari, JSP chief Pawan Kalyan and TDP leader M Ravindranath Reddy were also made respondents. The petitioner said that the Viveka murder case was handed over to the CBI and Avinash Reddy was enlarged on bail in the case.

Respondents told to remove objectionable comments

The case is pending before the CBI court, Nampally in Telangana. Suresh Babu argued that the respondents during their election campaign, made scurrilous, false and defamatory allegations against Jagan and Avinash Reddy in public, and they were published in print, electronic and social media platforms.

Directing the respondents to refrain from making derogatory remarks against Jagan and Avinash Reddy, the court asked the respondents and their supporters to remove all the objectionable comments previously made against the YSRC, its president Jagan Mohan Reddy and Avinash Reddy on print, electronic and various social media platforms with immediate effect.

The court also directed the respondents to refrain their party cadres and their contesting candidates from making any personal attacks and criticise rivals based on unverified allegation or distortions or regarding pending cases in the competent court of law.

The court also directed the respondents to maintain decent levels in public discourse, strictly adhere to the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) in force now in view of the general elections and focus on their own party agenda.

They could, however, criticise the failures of other parties, if any. The case was posted for further hearing on April 30.

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