Perhaps for the first time, Telugu Desam Party president and Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu received a big shock from the courts.
On Friday, the Dharmabad court in Maharashtra rejected the petition filed by Naidu’s advocate G Subba Rao seeking recall of the arrest warrant issued on him in connection with the 2010 Babli agitation case.
The court made it clear that Naidu had no option but to come to the court, if he wanted the case to proceed further.
He could get the bail only if he attends the court, the judge said and posted the case again to October 15.
So, Naidu has to attend the court on October 15, get arrested first and then obtain the bail immediately.
In all the previous cases against him, Naidu had obtained stay orders, but for the first time, Naidu is forced to face such an embarrassing situation.
May be, Naidu might consider moving the Maharasthra high court on the recall petition but as the things stand now, he has to follow the Dharmabad court orders.
Interestingly, three other former TDP legslators Gangula Kamalakar, Prakash Goud and K S Ratnam got the bail in the case as they attended the court.
However, Andhra irrigation minister Devineni Umamaheshwar Rao also, too, who was also part of the recall petition, would have to attend the court along with Naidu by October 15.
Initially, there were reports that Naidu was considering attending the Dharambad court in the Babli case.
He thought he would get a lot of political mileage if he attended the court since the people would show a lot of sympathy towards him.
He told the party colleagues that he had not committed any grave offence except for agitating for the people of Telangana. Moreover, it would be his duty to respect the judiciary.