VIJAYAWADA: CPI State secretary K Ramakrishna filed a Public Interest Litigation in the Andhra Pradesh High Court challenging the GO 1 of the State government, prohibiting public meetings and roadshows on the national and State highways and municipal and Panchayat Raj roads.
In the PIL, which, the petitioner’s counsel is trying to bring before the vacation bench, comprising Justice D Devanand and Justice Krupasagar on January 12, has mentioned the Principal Secretary (Home) and the DGP as respondents.
When a journalist Bal Gangadhar Tilak filed a PIL last week, the court stated that it will take up hearing after vacation. In his PIL, the CPI leader termed the GO 1 unconstitutional and a ploy of the YSRC government to suppress the voice of the opposition.
He contended that police can only control but cannot prohibit a meeting or a rally. Section 30 (2) of Police Act only tells how protests and rallies should be conducted and do not prohibit them or any public meeting for that matter, he said and urged the High Court to intervene in the matter and issue an interim stay on the GO.