VIJAYAWADA: The Dharmabad court in Nanded district of Maharashtra directed Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and 15 others to appear before it on October 15.
The court issued a non- bailable warrant (NBW) against Naidu and 15 others, including two of his Cabinet colleagues Devineni Umamaheswara Rao and Nakka Anand Babu, in connection with the protest organised against the construction of Babli dam in 2010. Naidu then was the leader of opposition in the undivided AP.
Advocate Subba Rao, appearing on behalf of the CM and others on Friday, moved an adjournment petition, submitting that Naidu did not receive any notices with regard to the case.
According to Subba Rao, when he sought some time for the CM and 15 of his party leaders to respond to the NBW, the judge ordered their appearance in the court on October 15. While postponing the hearing of the case to October 15, the court reportedly observed that ‘no one is above law and all those who have been served notices must appear in the court’.
Meanwhile, three former MLAs from Telangana Gangula Kamalakar, Prakash Goud and KS Ratnam, who were in the TDP in 2010 and participated in the protest against Babli project along with Naidu, appeared in the court and moved a recall petition against the NBW. While granting bail to the trio, the court imposed a fine of `5,000 on them.
Speaking to mediapersons in Hyderabad, Rajya Sabha MP and TDP legal cell head Kanakamedala Ravindra Kumar said that the advocate on behalf of the party attended the court seeking adjournment of the case. “Though Naidu has proper residential addresses in Hyderabad and Amaravati, no notices have reached him so far and yet the court served NBW against him. We have faith in the judiciary,’’ the MP said.