AP High Court suspends GO No 1

Nelapadu (Guntur dist): A Division Bench of the Andhra Pradesh High Court on Thursday suspended the GO No 1 which imposed restrictions on holding public meetings, conducting roadshows and taking out rallies in the state.

The GO had become highly controversial as the Opposition claimed that the GO was based on the provisions of the 1861 Police Act implemented by the British rulers. They said the GO was not applicable to the Madras Presidency and it was meant to supress the Opposition parties from holding meetings. CPI state secretary K Ramakrishna filed a PIL in the High Court challenging the GO.

The petitioner has also argued that it is a fundamental right to conduct meetings and the voice of Opposition is the lifeline of democracy. The petitioner appealed to the High Court to suspend the GO.

Following this, the Division Bench comprising Battu Devanand and Dr V Radhakrishna Krupa Sagar suspended the GO No 1 till January 23 and instructed the registry to send notices to the Home Department and the DGP returnable by January 20. The Bench stated that there were inherent inconsistencies in the government order.

The counsel for the petitioner pointed out that the Principal Secretary of the Home Department had indirectly imposed a complete ban on conduct of public meetings, processions on public roads. The petitioner contended that the basic rights of the people and the organisations are curtailed, and the permission is not being granted on the pretext of the impugned GO.