VIJAYAWADA: The Andhra Pradesh high court on Friday granted interim protection to former chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy and others, directing the police not to take coercive steps, including arrest, in relation to the case registered over the death of one Ch Singaiah.
The high court asked the Advocate General to explain how the passengers in the vehicle are responsible for an untoward incident that resulted in the death of a person.
Guntur police registered a case against Jagan Mohan Reddy, his PA K Naheswara Reddy, former ministers Vidadala Rajini and Perni Venkatramaiah, and former TTD Chairman Y V Subba Reddy, charging them with culpable homicide not amounting to murder under section 105 of BNS, after videos surfaced suggesting Singaiah was mowed down by the vehicle in which they were travelling.
Jagan Mohan Reddy and others moved the high court seeking to quash the case registered against them. Arguing on behalf of the petitioners, senior counsels Ponnavolu Sudhakar Reddy and S Sriram submitted that the police initially declared that another vehicle was responsible for the incident in question and registered a case under section 106 of BNS for rash and negligent driving.
However, the case was later altered to section 105, and the former CM and others, who were passengers in the vehicle, were included as accused. They submitted that the case is politically motivated, and the sections included in the FIR against the petitioners do not stand for judicial scrutiny.
Considering the submissions of the petitioners, Justice K Srinivas Reddy asked Advocate General Dammalapati Srinivas to explain how the passengers in the vehicle involved in an accident could be made accused. Responding to the query from the bench, Srinivas said that the incident in question cannot be seen as any other incident of rash and negligent driving.
The Advocate General said that there was sufficient material to suggest that the petitioners, despite having knowledge of the incident, did not inform the police or take remedial measures to rescue the victim. Instead, they tried to cover up by giving the impression that some other vehicle was involved in the incident.
Srinivas further said that the authorities had given limited permission for three vehicles and 100 persons to visit Rentapalla, but hundreds of vehicles and thousands of people gathered and conducted a rally in utter disregard of the law enforcement agencies. Even after the incident took place, the petitioners did not bother to call for an ambulance or inform the police but continued with the rally, he said. Srinivas said that all these things are to be seen together, not in isolation.
If it had been a politically motivated case, as alleged by the petitioners, the police would have registered cases into three other deaths that occurred on that day due to the rally. The reason for the registration of the case in question was based on available material, he said, adding that the investigation is still at a nascent stage and sought time till Tuesday so that he can submit all details pertaining to the case.
Considering the submissions on both sides, Justice Srinivas Reddy posted the matter for further hearing on July 1 and directed the police not to take coercive steps till then.