The Supreme Court delivered a blow to YSRCP MLA Pinnelli Ramakrishna Reddy and ordered him to not enter counting centre on June 4, which is Assembly and Lok Sabha election results day.
The top court also ordered him not to go anywhere near couting areas and overruled Andhra Pradesh High Court orders to not arrest him till June 6.
The Supreme Court bench opined that the High Court had erred in giving Pinnelli an early reprieve and that doing so was a travesty of justice.
Why was Ramakrishna Reddy booked?
He has been charged with destroying a voter-verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) machine at a polling booth on May 13, the day of polling in AP. CCTV footage of the incident showed the MLA picking up the VVPAT machine and hurling it to the ground at Palvai gate polling station in the constituency. He and 28 of his followers are charged with attacking Karampudi Circle Inspector Narayanaswamy on polling day when he tried to prevent them. The CI suffered injuries in the attack and is on medical leave.
YCP lawmaker Pinnelli has been booked under IPC sections 307 (attempt to murder) and Section 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to a public servant while discharging duties) and others.
Arguments at the Supreme Court:
During the hearing, lawyers arguing on behalf of the petitioner played the EVM vandalism video for the bench while Pinnelli’s lawyers argued that it was not an official video and that it is not clear who was in the video.
AP grants interim bail to Pinnelli:
AP High Court on May 28 granted interim bail to Macherla MLA and asked police not to take any action against him till June 6.
Telugu Desam Party (TDP), challenged the HC verdict and filed a petition in the top court, and in the hearing on Monday, SC overruled the HC verdict.
Meanwhile, Supreme Court also dismissed YSRCP’s challenge to ECI circular relaxing postal ballot norms in Andhra Pradesh.
The Supreme Court bench opined that AP High Court had erred in giving Pinnelli an early reprieve and that doing so was a travesty of justice. Andhra Pradesh States News India: Top News India, States News, States News Headlines, Online State News India, State Politics news
