VIJAYAWADA: The division bench of Andhra Pradesh High Court headed by Chief Justice Prasanth Kumar Mishra on Tuesday refused to extend vacation bench order suspending GO 1. The division bench of Chief Justice Mishra and Justice DVSS Somayajulu continued hearing of the appeal filed by the State government challenging the vacation bench order suspending the GO 1, which was brought by the government prohibiting public meetings on highways and roads.
The division bench heard the petitions filed by TDP leader Kollu Ravindra, PCC chief Gidugu Rudraraju, BJP leader Kanna Lakshminarayana and others.Arguing on behalf of the petitioners, counsels Jandyala Ravishankar, Siddharth Luthra and others said that there was no need of issuing a GO when the government can regulate public meeting by invoking Section 30 of the Police Act.
They said the stampedes would not have taken place if the police had taken adequate measures. “It is unjust to give permissions for public meetings by imposing conditions. There should not be a situation where political parties have to stage dharnas and roadshows at the mercy of the government.”
The counsels informed the court that no political party or individual questioned the circular issued by the then Director General of Police in the aftermath of stampede at actor-turned-politician K Chiranjeevi’s Praja Rajyam Party meeting in 2008. CPI secretary K Ramakrishna’s counsel N Aswini Kumar said that they have to file the petition before the vacation bench as the GO was usurping the rights of the citizens.
Referring to conditions imposed on TDP general secretary Nara Lokesh’s scheduled padayatra, Kollu Ravindra’s counsel Siddharth Luthra said the conditions expose the manner in which the government was trying to obstruct the Opposition parties.The counsel said the police have even imposed a condition that banners and flexis cannot be installed.
He informed the court that when YS Jagan Mohan Reddy was the Opposition leader in 2017, the then DGP had accorded permission to his yatra and had also provided bandobast.The counsel said two days after the issuance of GO 1, the police stopped Opposition leader N Chandrababu Naidu’s tour of Kuppam. He also informed the court that the police are closing down the shops on both sides of the road through which the Chief Minister is travelling and banners and flexies are erected everywhere.
Advocate general S Sriram reiterated that there was no ban on public meetings but the GO was issued to regulate traffic on roads and highways.After hearing all sides, the division bench said it would issue orders within a week.When the counsel representing TDP sought extension of suspension of the GO, the division bench refused.