




VIJAYWADA: The Andhra Pradesh HC on Friday said it will decide if there is constitutional breakdown in the state after taking a considerate view on various aspects, including the social media cases targeting judges.
The bench of Justice Rakesh Kumar and Justice J Uma Devi made the observations during the hearing on a batch of habeas corpus petitions. The judges said that the state government had proposed to abolish the legislative council as bills intended for trifurcation of the state capital were referred to a select committee. The state government has also targeted the state election commission and now it seems the third target is the HC, the bench observed.
The bench asked the advocates representing the petitioners to assist the court in establishing whether constitutional breakdown had taken place or not. Expressing displeasure over the status report submitted by the CBI regarding the investigation of the cases in which the HC ordered inquiry, the bench said that they would summon the joint director if they failed to make progress in the investigation.
The bench observed that the police did not register a case even after the HC registrar-general lodged a complaint. It was only after two days, 10 FIRs were registered by omitting all the key persons. Resuming the arguments in a petition pertaining to illegal detention of a couple, the government special advocate, SS Prasad, told the bench that as the allegations made by the petitioners were not proven.
The petitioner’s counsel said that the police detained his clients even before a case was registered which was illegal and violated fundamental rights.