Live telecast hearing of graft cases: Vundavalli Arun Kumar

Rajamahendravaram: Former Congress MP Vundavalli Arun Kumar urged Chief Justice of India (CJI) B A Bobde to live telecast the hearing of corruption cases against Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, former chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu and present and former people's representatives.

Addressing a press conference here on Saturday, Arun Kumar said he had sent an email the Chief Justice on October 13 with this request.

"The people know the facts and also what is happening in the courts

if the hearing of cases if telecast live. The people may be ready to bear the expenditure for this live telecast," he said.

Referring to criticism of Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy over complaint against Supreme Court and High Court judges, he reminded that former chief minister Damodaram Sanjivayya lodged a complaint to then Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri against three High Court judges in 1961. Similarly, former CM N T Rama Rao too expressed unhappiness over the functioning of High Court in 1983.

Arun Kumar said there might be a reason for the letter sent to CJI against High Court judges and apex court judge Justice N V Ramana by Jagan Mohan Reddy.

He said the courts need not interfere if the government acts as per laws. "The debate now is over propriety of Chief Minister's advisor Ajeya Kallam releasing the letter in press conference, but not on the letter itself," he added.

He said that High Court's gag order relating to former advocate general Dammalapati Srinivas was the main reason for the clash between High Court and the state government and added that there was no need to issue gag order relating to the case.

Citing cases against Naidu, he said it appears that all were not before the law. Justice Ramana can be prevented from being CJ only if 100 MPs in Lok Sabha and 50 in Rajya Sabha vote against him, he said.