VIJAYAWADA: Andhra Pradesh High Court on Wednesday gave relief to Panchayat Raj Minister Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy by allowing him to address the media, but asked him to refrain from speaking against the ongoing panchayat election process. Stat e El e c t ion Commissioner Nimmagadda Ramesh Kumar had earlier ordered the DGP to confine Ramachandra Reddy to his residence and prevent him from speaking to the media. The SEC had taken serious view of the remarks made by the minister warning election officials of severe action if they followed the SEC’s orders on unanimous elections in the panchayat elections.
Ramachandra Reddy filed a petition before the High Court, after which Justice DVSS Somayajulu set aside the SEC order on the minister’s confinement, but refused to interfere in the orders pertaining to him addressing the media. The Panchayat Raj minister challenged the single- judge verdict before the division bench of Chief Justice Arup Kumar Goswami and Just ice C Praveen Kumar. The bench heard the arguments on Tuesday and res e rved the o rde r s t o Wednesday. On Wednesday, the bench maintained that it would not be right to issue any order without hearing Nimmagadda Ramesh Kumar, who was made a respondent in the petition in h i s p e r s o n a l capacity.
Senior counsel CV Mohan Reddy, arguing on behalf of the Panchayat Raj minister, said he would file a memo withdrawing the name of Ramesh Kumar as the respondent. When the bench sought the opinion of the Commission, its counsel B Adinarayana Rao said they had no objection. As Advocate General S Sriram too did not raise any objection, Ramesh Kumar’s name was removed f rom the respondents’ list, and the orders were issued. The division bench observed that it was not right on part of the SEC to refrain the minister from addressing the media, and the minister could approach the court if he had any objections to the actions of the SEC.