The Andhra Pradesh high court on Friday pulled up Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee president Y S Sharmila and her cousin Dr N Sunitha for making irresponsible statements on the murder of Sunitha’s father and former minister Y S Vivekananda Reddy, when the matter is in the court for adjudication.
The high court bench was reacting to the petitions filed by Sharmila, Sunitha and Telugu Desam Party candidates B Tech Ravi challenging the “gag” orders issued by the Kadapa district court asking them and three others – TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu, his son Nara Lokesh and BJP state president Daggubati Purandeshwari not to talk about Viveka murder in their election speeches.
The case came up before the third bench of the high court, after judges on two other benches recused themselves from hearing the petitions in the last one week.
The third bench also refused to take up the hearing, as the petitioners had already made an appeal in the Kadapa court.
The bench asked the Kadapa court to decide on the matter before May 8 and deliver the judgement, as the election campaign closes on May 11.
However, the high court bench took serious exception to Sharmila, Sunitha and Ravi for making statements accusing YSR Congress party MP Y S Avinash Reddy of being a murderer and a conspirator in Viveka’s murder.
“How is it justified to speak about the case which is sub-judice? How can they call the accused as a murderer when the case is still under investigation? How can they allege that chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy is shielding the killers of Viveka?” the bench asked.
Stating that their comments amount to contempt of court, the bench also wondered how Sharmila was talking now in her election speeches about a murder that had taken place five years ago.