Complaints over lockdown in Andhra Pradesh to go to NDMA

It noted that violations of the lockdown are under the purview of the NDMA.

VIJAYAWADA:  The Andhra Pradesh High Court has asked those who filed PILs against YSRC MLAs and Opposition leader N Chandrababu Naidu and his son Lokesh, with regard to violations of the lockdown, to lodge complaints with the officials concerned at the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). It noted that violations of the lockdown are under the purview of the NDMA.

The direction came on Thursday, when a division bench of Justice A Venkata Sesha Sai and Justice B Krishnamohan was hearing a PIL filed by advocate P Kishore against MLAs RK Roja, Vidathala Rajini, K Sanjeevaiah, N Venkat Goud and B Madhusudhan Reddy for violating the lockdown. Hearing the PIL earlier, a Division Bench led by Chief Justice Jitendra Kumar Maheswhari, warned of handing over the case to the CBI. Meanwhile, another petition was filed by advocate Vanga Venkatrami Reddy on May 26 over lockdown violations by Naidu and Lokesh.When the PILs came up for hearing on Thursday, advocate KG Krishnamurthy, arguing on behalf of Venkat Goud, said the PIL is not worth being taken up for hearing as the petitioner has an alternate platform to complain over lockdown violations with the state-level and national-level authorities of the NDMA. 

‘Register complaints under NDMA’

Intervening, the division bench asked whether the petitioner had approached the alternate platform, and the petitioner’s counsel Indraneel Babu replied in the negative. He said they filed the PIL based on newspaper articles about the lockdown violations by YSRC MLAs. Several people violated the lockdown and we cannot complain against all of them, he said. Taking objection to the counsel’s arguments, the court said it had become common for petitioners to come directly to court without following what should be done legally. A petitioner approaching the court should not have malafide intentions, it observed.

As Babu said the violations by the YSRC MLAs were supported by the government, the court asked for evidence. Intervening, the government’s counsel Chintala Mohan said 60 PILs were filed in the HC after the nationwide lockdown was imposed. He contended that the YSRC MLAs did not violate the lockdown, but distributed essential supplies in accordance with the rules.

The court then told the petitioners they should register complaints under the NDMA against the MLAs, if they violated the lockdown, but not to unnecessarily approach courts when there is an alternate platform.
Meanwhile, P Janardhan Reddy, the counsel of Vanga Venkatrami Reddy, said there is a difference between the petitions filed against the YSRC MLAs and his petition against Chandrababu Naidu. While the YSRC MLAs distributed essential commodities, Naidu and Lokesh intentionally violated lockdown norms, he said, adding that the public were mobilised right from Kodad in Telangana to welcome the TDP leaders. After hearing both sides, the court disposed off the two PILs, asking the petitioners to approach the authorities concerned.