The Andhra Pradesh high court on Friday gave a big shock to the state government headed by Jagan Mohan Reddy.
The high court set the GO 1 aside stating that it was against the fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution. The court observed that the state government has no right to go against the fundamental rights of the people.
It may be recalled here that the state government had issued the GO 1 on January 2 this year prohibiting rallies and public meetings on the narrow roads. The GO was followed by two stampedes at Kandukur in Nellore district and Guntur city in which 11 people died.
CPI state secretary K Ramakrishna filed a public interest litigation against the bill in the high court. Former minister and TDP leader Kollu Ravindra, AP Congress president Gidugu Rudraraju, former minister Kanna Lakshminarayana, AISF general secretary Siva Reddy, AIYF president Rajendra Babu also filed separate petitions in the court challenging the GO 1.
The court headed by chief justice Prashanth Kumar Mishra heard the case on January 24 and reserved the judgment.
Meanwhile, TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu welcomed the high court judgment on the GO 1. He said that the makers of the Constitution have thought of people like Jagan who might deny the fundamental rights of the people.
The constitution makers have given protection to the fundamental rights, he said and advised Jagan Mohan Reddy to understand the spirit of the constitution.