Former IAS officers condemn ‘intolerant’ political atmosphere of Andhra Pradesh

Former IAS officers L.V. Subramanyam and former Chief Election Commissioner Nimmagadda Ramesh Kumar addressing a press conference in Tirupati on Saturday.

The Citizens For Democracy (CFD) will organise a one-day workshop on ‘Constitutional Administration and Activism of the Judiciary’ at the Gandhamaneni Sivaiah Krishnareddy Bhavan in Tirupati on Sunday. The former Chief Justice of Himachal Pradesh High Court, Justice M.M. Rao will be delivering the keynote address.

Addressing a press conference here on Saturday, CFD secretary and former IAS officer L.V. Subramanyam and former Chief Election Commissioner (Andhra Pradesh) Nimmagadda Ramesh Kumar said that the workshop is aimed at highlighting the recent police cases against activists from the Opposition parties and other public organisations in the State.

The CFD functionaries said that the organisation condemns the growing ‘intolerant’ atmosphere and the crackdown on criticism against the State government. They objected to the indefinite extension of Section 30 of the Police Act in several places, blocking public gatherings of political parties, pre-trial house arrests, and illegal detention of leaders from various parties and associations in the wake of recent agitations. The forum leaders alleged that the ruling YSRCP party were ‘misusing’ the police machinery to file criminal cases against Opposition activists without any evidence.

A three-member committee comprising eminent personalities of the State would examine the nature of the cases registered by the police against the Opposition political parties, community leaders, and activists, they said. Former DGP M.V. Bhaskar Rao, former additional advocate general Agani Sathyaprasad, and senior journalist Venkateshwarlu will form the committee; they will interact with different communities to know the facts of the cases and a round table conference would be held in Vijayawada on December 13.