Andhra High Court stays CID investigation on employees of state Election Commission

The Andhra Pradesh High Court granted stay on the cases registered by the CID against the Election Commission employees. The court issued interim orders suspending the inquiry on the employees and adjourned the next hearing to next Monday and ordered to submit details. The High Court held that SEC Nimmagadda had filed a quash petition alleging that CID had filed cases against the Election Commission employees for not performing their duties.

Nimmagadda alleged in the petition that the government was interfering in the duties of the SEC. The High Court was told that the government was trying to suppress the independence of the SEC. They said the case registered by the CID against their staff was unconstitutional and asked the to order CBI inquiry into the matter. He said in the petition that the computer used by SEC assistant secretary Sambamurthy and the data in it had been taken away by CID and asked that the CID should be ordered to return the seized items.

The petition reads that the CID officials who came to inquire about the letter he had written to the Center said that they had put that aside and expressed interest to know the details of the local body elections and Sambamurthy was accused of harassing CID officials alleging him of destroying evidence and making a false case. The case was filed to harass the commission and its employees. The Home Secretary, DGP, CID Additional DG, Union Home Secretary and others were named as respondents.

On the other hand, SEC assistant secretary Sambamurthy also approached the high court seeking dismissal of the CID case registered against him. These two petitions will be heard together.