VIJAYAWADA: The Andhra Pradesh High Court expressed shock and outrage over the police’s gross negligence in filing a counter affidavit for eight long years in a 2017 petition, questioning their blatant disregard for court orders, and warning that such conduct erodes public trust in the judiciary.
The case stems from a writ petition filed by A Rajasekhar from Dharmavaram in Anantapur district, alleging that police were interfering in his civil dispute with certain individuals, and seeking directions to prevent such involvement.
Despite court directives to submit a counter, the police ignored the order, leading to repeated delays. The court lambasted the authorities, asking, “What kind of negligence is this?”
Justice Battu Devanand, hearing the matter on Friday, took suo motu contempt proceedings against Dharmavaram’s One Town Inspector P Nagendra Prasad for presenting contradictory statements.
Initially, police claimed in 2017 that a case was registered against Rajasekhar based on a complaint from Lakshmidevamma, but recently denied receiving any such complaint. This prompted the court to issue notices in the contempt petition. The next hearing was adjourned to October 24.
