Ramakrishna Reddy, YSR Congress Party’s MLA from Macherla, received temporary relief from arrest until June 5 by the Andhra Pradesh High Court. This order pertains to a case involving the destruction of an EVM inside a polling booth on May 13.
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Amaravati: Recently, Ramakrishna Reddy, the YSR Congress Party’s MLA from Macherla in Andhra Pradesh’s Palnadu district, was granted temporary relief by the state high court on Thursday. The court instructed the police not to arrest him until June 5 in connection with a case involving the destruction of an electronic voting machine (EVM) inside a polling booth on May 13, according to sources familiar with the situation.
Reddy, who has been in hiding since the Macherla police filed a case against him, filed a lunch motion petition before a single judge bench of the state high court, presided over by Justice Jyothirmayi. His lawyer, S. Niranjan Reddy, presented the petition seeking bail. After hearing the arguments from both the petitioner and the prosecution, the bench issued interim orders instructing the police to refrain from taking any action against the MLA until 10 am on June 5. This directive comes just a day after the scheduled announcement of the assembly and Lok Sabha election results in the state.
The court also imposed conditions on Ramakrishna Reddy, instructing him not to intimidate his opponents or threaten any witnesses involved in the case. Additionally, the Election Commission was tasked with monitoring the MLA’s movements to ensure compliance with the court’s order.
During the arguments, the MLA’s lawyer highlighted that the Election Commission had instructed the police to file a case against Ramakrishna Reddy based on a video posted on social media by Nara Lokesh, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) general secretary.
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“How can the Election Commission trust a video posted by a TDP leader? It could have been edited.”
– he argued.
He further pointed out that the police initially registered a case stating that unknown persons had damaged the EVM.
“It was only after the TDP released the video that the police added Ramakrishna Reddy’s name to the case without giving him prior notice or an opportunity to explain his side.”
– the lawyer added.
A video showing the YSR Congress Party MLA smashing the EVM and VVPAT machine by banging them on the floor at the Palwaigate polling station in Macherla went viral on social media on May 21. In response to the video footage, the Election Commission of India (ECI) ordered a thorough investigation into the incident and subsequently instructed the police to arrest Ramakrishna Reddy.
The charges against the MLA are extensive, including sections 143 (unlawful assembly), 147 (rioting by use of force), 448 (criminal trespassing), 427 (mischief by causing damage), 353 (criminal force to assault a public servant), 452 (trespass to cause hurt and wrongfully restrain), and 120 (B) (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code. Additionally, he is charged under Sections 131 and 135 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, and Section 3 of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property (PDPP) Act, 1984.
Earlier, state Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) M.K. Meena informed reporters that eight police teams were actively searching for Ramakrishna Reddy. On Wednesday, the police discovered a couple of vehicles from the MLA’s convoy near Hyderabad. The MLA’s driver and security guard have been detained for questioning, with officials asserting that the MLA’s arrest was imminent.
The CEO also mentioned that the presiding officer and assistant polling officer of the booth where the MLA allegedly smashed the EVM were suspended for failing to report the incident, which was seen as a dereliction of duty on the polling day.
In the midst of these developments, tension simmered in Macherla following a call by TDP leaders for a “Chalo Macherla” protest to support party workers injured in post-poll violence in the area. Palnadu Superintendent of Police (SP) Malika Garg announced that no permission would be granted for rallies or meetings in Macherla due to the sensitive law and order situation and the enforcement of Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code in the area.
To prevent the ‘Chalo Macherla’ program, the police placed several TDP leaders under house arrest across the state. TDP leaders Nakka Anand Babu and K. Srinivasa Rao were confined to their homes in Guntur, while former minister Devineni Uma was prevented from leaving his residence in Gollapudi. Similarly, TDP politburo member Varla Ramaiah was placed under house arrest in Vijayawada.
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The TDP candidate from the Macherla assembly constituency, Julakanti Brahmananda Reddy, has been under house arrest since the polling day on May 13. The chief electoral officer emphasized that it was not the appropriate time for TDP leaders to visit Macherla, as the situation was only beginning to stabilize.
“Any provocative actions by TDP leaders could escalate violence again. Therefore, we asked the police to prohibit such visits by TDP leaders.”
– Meena added.
