YS Jagan complains to CJI S A Bobde about Justice Ramana's interference in the judicial processes of the AP High Court

Amaravati: AP Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy has gone ahead and complained to Chief Justice of India S A Bobde against the Apex Court Justice N V Ramana about his 'interference' in the judicial processes of the AP High Court, particularly in the issue of alleged Amaravati land scam.

The AP government had earlier launched an investigation into the alleged scam and issued GOs scrapping the CRDA. It may be recalled that the issue landed in the High Court in no time. The High Court had stayed the probe against the alleged perpetrators of the scam, including Dammalapati Srinivasa Rao, former Advocate-General and some relatives of Justice N V Ramana.

The High Court had also stayed the coverage of the same in the media.

Reiterating that the government had full respect for the High Court and its processes, Principal Advisor to AP government Ajay Kallam told the media here on Saturday night that the AP government had decided to put an end to all speculation in a section of the media on the issue and hence the press conference.

He further said that the CM has placed all "material" before the CJI in a letter written on October 8 citing the "interference" of Justice Ramana in the land scam case. Ajay Kallam said due to the orders of the High Court, references to the relatives of the said Justice were removed from government affidavits.

But, as it was deemed proper, all the material available regarding the Apex Court judge's interference was brought to the notice of the CJI, he added. The covering letter written by the CM indicated "enormous respect" that the State government had for the High Court and its processes, he said, adding that "only some individual" instances of interference in the judicial process within the State were brought to the notice of the CJI.

Kallam refused to take questions. The media conference itself was delayed by about two hours and held at 9.10 pm though it was scheduled earlier at 7 pm.

The AP government claimed that it was complaining against the judicial personalities and others in the Amaravati land scam issue to the CJI and has decided to speak about it in the larger public interest.

Kallam added that the complaint explained the SLPs filed against the orders of Justice D V Somayajulu and that of the CJ of the High Court Justice J K Maheswari staying investigation into the said scam and also issuing a gag order on the reportage of FIR filed against the former Advocate General and family members of the sitting judge of the Apex court.

The material placed before the CJI includes instances of "judicial impropriety" of Justice Ramana while he was a judge in the AP High Court in passing orders favouring former Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu. It also placed the "recent happenings and orders passed by the High Court which is on account of the direct influence exerted by Justice N V Ramana over the proceedings of the High Court.

The effort was only to sensitize the Supreme Court about the acts of a few individual judges, states the CM's letter. The government sought to reiterate 'abiding compliance with the laws, the Constitution and the respectful deference to all the institutions of the State.'