VIJAYAWADA: The High Court on Wednesday directed the State government and the petitioner to place before it the orders passed by the Supreme Court in the case filed by MP Gurumoorthy in the alleged custodial death of Sai.
The Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Lisa Gill and Justice Challa Gunaranjan said it would proceed with the PIL after examining the Supreme Court orders and adjourned the hearing to next week.
The bench was hearing a PIL filed by Gochipatha Srinivasa Rao, president of the Society for Protection of Constitutional Rights, seeking a CBI probe into Sai’s custodial death. Senior counsel Ponnavolu Sudhakar Reddy, appearing for the petitioner, submitted that the PIL had no connection with the SLP before the SC.
He said MP Gurumurthy had filed a private complaint before a Vijayawada court alleging that senior police officials were aware of Sai’s custodial death, following which police officers approached the High Court and obtained a stay on the proceedings before the lower court.
Gurumoorthy approached the SC, he said. The petitioner’s counsel further submitted that the PIL seeking a CBI probe was filed as there was no confidence in the SIT probe and alleged that pressure was brought on Sai’s mother, Vijayalakshmi, to withdraw her petition seeking a CBI probe.
Special counsel for the State, Singamneni Pranathi, said another bench had reserved its judgment on a petition filed by Vijayalakshmi seeking a probe into her son’s disappearance.
She informed the HC that the SIT had filed a final report. After hearing both sides, the Bench said the SC orders had to be examined before proceeding with the PIL in view of judgment having been reserved.