In yet another favour to retired IAS officer Nimmagadda Ramesh Kumar, presently Andhra Pradesh State Election Commissioner (SEC), the state high court on Monday granted stay on the investigation by the Crime Investigation Department (CID) of the state police into the alleged tampering of evidences in the commission.
The high court, which was hearing a petition filed by Ramesh Kumar, also stayed the cases filed by the CID against the employees of the SEC. It gave interim orders stalling further investigation into the case and posted the case to next Monday.
The court asked the CID to submit a detailed affidavit as to why and on whom the case was filed and being investigate. Nimmagadda argued that because of the court cases, the employees of the SEC were not able to discharge their duties.
It may be mentioned that the CID on April 21 registered a case based on YSRC general secretary V Vijay Sai Reddy stating that the SEC staff had tampered with the computer at the SEC and destroyed the files pertaining to Nimmagadda’s letter to Union home secretary seeking central protection to him.
In the letter, Nimmagadda reportedly said he was facing threat to his life from the YSRC leaders.
He pointed out that the chief minister himself had made a verbal attack on him, while his cabinet colleagues and the ruling party leaders had abused him over the indefinite postponement of the local body elections in March. He was subsequently provided central protection.
Nimmagadadda alleged that the CID authorities had seized CPU, scanner and laptop of the SEC, postal register and mobile phone of its employee K Samba Murthy.
He expressed the apprehension that the seizure was aimed at tampering with the election process that was underway.