The Supreme Court has reacted sharply to the interim protection granted to Andhra Pradesh MLA P Ramakrishna Reddy, who was caught on camera earlier this month destroying an EVM at a polling station in Palnadu district.
In widely circulated videos, Reddy, from the ruling YSR Congress, along with a few unruly supporters, was seen storming into a voting booth, grabbing the electronic voting machine (EVM) and the voter verified paper audit trail (VVPAT), and throwing them to the ground. The incident occurred on May 13.
Despite the clear evidence, Mr. Reddy received interim protection in this and related cases. High Court Justice Venkata Jyothirmayi issued orders directing police not to act against the lawmaker until 10 am on Wednesday, a day after the Lok Sabha election results are declared.
However, Supreme Court Justices Arvind Kumar and Sandeep Mehta criticized the High Court’s decision, calling it a “complete mockery of the system.” The top court indicated it was considering canceling the interim protection, which would make Mr. Reddy subject to arrest.
“(How can the court give) interim protection in such cases… if we do not stay this order, it will amount to mockery of the system,” Justice Kumar said after a video of the incident was played in court. “Are we being made fun of? This is a sheer joke. How can so many enter a polling booth?”
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The court noted that the incident was captured in a live web telecast, and the complainant reported that both the EVM and VVPAT were snatched and destroyed, with eight people inside the polling booth. “Where is the question of bail?” the court asked, adding it was inclined, prima facie, to accept the allegations against the YSRCP leader.
“This is not a doctored video… on the face of it,” Justice Mehta commented.
The court also criticized Mr. Reddy for remaining hidden until the interim protection order and slammed the police for their response to the incident. “He is belittling the system. A sitting MLA goes to the polling station, destroys EVM and VVPAT, and the complaint is filed about ‘unknown person’?”
The Supreme Court, however, decided to bar Mr. Reddy from entering the vote counting booth in his constituency, prohibiting him from being in the vicinity. Additionally, the Supreme Court ordered the High Court to hear the cases registered against Mr. Reddy, scheduled for Thursday, “without being influenced by the interim protection order.”
Senior advocate Vikas Singh, appearing for the lawmaker, assured the court that his client would comply with the Supreme Court’s instructions and urged the bench to allow the High Court to hear the plea as proposed.
The top court was hearing a plea by opposition TDP’s Namboodiri Seshagiri Rao. Mr. Reddy, who is seeking a fifth consecutive term, was booked under sections of the Indian Penal Code, the Representation of the People Act, and the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act.
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