Man charged for online barbs against judges

NEW DELHI: The CBI has filed the first chargesheet in connection with a case involving posting of derogatory messages on social media about judges and judiciary.
The agency has named one Lingareddy Rajasekhar Reddy as an accused in the chargesheet. Reddy was the first suspect to be arrested in the case on July 9 when he landed in the country from abroad.He is presently in judicial custody. The CBI has also had many of the objectionable posts removed from the social media platforms and public domain. It has identified at least two more entities abroad and efforts are on to arrest them.
“Investigation is continuing including through the channels of MLAT, Interpol to collect evidence from abroad,” said the spokesperson for the agency.
The agency had arrested five suspects in July and August last in the case and also examined Lok Sabha MP Nandigam Suresh and former MLA Amanchi Krishnamohan, both belonging to YSR Congress, in the case.
While three of the suspects were arrested in July, two men were held on August 7, just a day after Chief Justice of India N V Ramana rued that judges were not on priority for investigating agencies and that their complaints of being harassed or intimidated were not heeded despite specialised bodies like CBI being roped in.
CBI had registered the case on November 11 last year against 16 people and taken over investigation of 12 FIRs from CID, Andhra Pradesh, in pursuance of the orders of the High Court.
The original FIRs were registered on complaints of Registrar General of High Court of Andhra Pradesh. It was alleged that the accused intentionally targeted the judiciary by making derogatory posts on social media platform against judges and judiciary, following certain court verdicts. After registration of the case, CBI traced 13 of the 16 accused named in FIR in the case on various digital platforms