The Supreme Court on Wednesday threatened to initiate contempt of court proceedings against the AP government, especially the state DGP for withdrawing security to a lawyer who had filed a PIL against the premature release of nearly 1,500 convicted criminals by the Rajasekhar Reddy government.
If security to advocate R. Chandrashekhar Reddy is not restored forthwith by the AP government, a notice for initiating contempt proceedings would be issued to the state DGP, a Bench of Justices Deepak Verma and S.J. Mukhopadhaya said reminding that specific orders had been issued earlier to provide him the security.
“How can you (AP government) withdraw the security without the permission of the court as our order had neither been vacated nor stayed? Restore the security with immediate effect,” the Bench said. The apex court had stayed the release of the prisoners in February 2008 after Mr Reddy had filed the PIL. Later he had moved an application stating that close associates and family members of the prisoners who were to be released were threatening him with dire consequences and the SC had asked the state government to provide him adequate security.
However, the AP government had withdrawn the security to Mr Reddy last month, the apex court was informed. His counsel Prashant Bhushan on May 17 sought urgent hearing of the matter. GO 196 of August 7, 2007, issued by the YSR government had proposed granting of remission to the prisoners. A committee, under the principle home secretary, was set up to scrutinise the cases of the convicted prisoners, who “satisfy” the guidelines laid down in the GO.
The top court on January 27, 2009, however, modified its stay order and permitted the committee to undertake a survey of the jails to prepare a list of those prisoners who qualified for grant of remission as per the law.