GUNTUR : Palnadu district police arrested YSRC leader and former Macherla MLA Pinnelli Ramakrishna Reddy on Wednesday in connection with the cases about the vandalisation of an electronic voting machine (EVM) and inciting violence during the elections. He was taken to the SP office and later produced before a court in Macherla.
The arrest comes after the High Court refused to grant anticipatory bail to the former legislator in the cases.
Pinnelli has been booked in four cases for allegedly vandalising an EVM and assaulting TDP agent Namburi Seshagiri Rao at a polling booth in Palvai Gate, Macherla district on May 13, the day of polling in Andhra Pradesh. The YSRC leader allegedly assaulted Rao when the latter prevented him from leaving the booth after damaging the equipment. Pinnelli was also accused of threatening a woman at the same polling station.
The day after polling, the politician and his supporters allegedly incited violence in Karampudi, during which a CI, identified as Narayanaswamy, was injured.
After a video of Pinnelli breaking the EVM went viral on social media platforms, the Election Commission of India (ECI) directed officials to take legal action against him.
HC orders status quo on YSRC party offices
The High Court issued an interim order to maintain status quo on the YSRC party office buildings, which were being demolished by the civic bodies concerned in the State
ECI: No one will dare to commit such misdeeds now
Subsequently, Palnadu police booked cases against him. Ramakrishna was residing in YSRC Palnadu MP candidate Anil Kumar Yadav’s residence in Narasaraopet and reporting to the district police daily, ever since his interim bail was extended.
In response to the judgement, the Election Commission of India said the incident proves that stern action will be taken against those who disrupt the election process.
It also highlights that the ECI is dedicated in maintaining the integrity of elections as per the Constitution, the poll panel added and hoped that no one will dare to commit such misdeeds in the future. In a statement, the ECI observed that the arrest of the former MLA reinforces that no one is above law, regardless of status.
The poll panel asserted that it is committed to safeguarding the electoral process and take strict action against those who threaten democracy.