Andhra Pradesh High Court Issues Directives on BNSS Guidelines in Cases Against Former Minister
The Andhra Pradesh High Court delivered a significant ruling on Monday, directing state police authorities to strictly adhere to Section 35(3) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) guidelines in all cases registered against former minister and YSR Congress Party leader Ambati Rambabu. This judicial intervention came in response to a petition filed by Rambabu seeking the quashing of two older cases along with thirty-three additional cases registered across various locations throughout the state.
Petition Challenges Multiple Case Registrations
Ambati Rambabu approached the high court through his legal counsel, Ponnavolu Sudhakar Reddy, arguing that the registration of multiple criminal cases stemming from his political comments about Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu violated established legal principles. The counsel emphasized that such repetitive filings contradicted previous judgments from the Supreme Court of India, which have consistently discouraged the practice of registering numerous cases over the same underlying issue.
Justice Venkata Jyothirmayee Pratapa, presiding over the matter, directly questioned the public prosecutor about the rationale behind these multiple registrations. The court demanded clear explanations and instructed the prosecution to provide proper guidance to the police departments involved in these filings.
Court's Analysis of Specific Cases
In examining the specific allegations against Rambabu, the high court noted that the cases primarily fell into two categories. The first involved accusations related to organizing a motorcycle rally in violation of established regulations and allegedly obstructing police officers from performing their official duties. The second category centered on an alleged incident where Rambabu was accused of threatening a trade union leader.
After thorough review, Justice Pratapa observed that all charges brought against the YSRCP leader carried potential punishments of less than seven years' imprisonment. Based on this assessment, the court explicitly instructed law enforcement agencies to apply the provisions outlined in Section 35(3) of the BNSS guidelines when proceeding with these cases.
Prosecution's Response and Court's Decision
Public Prosecutor Menda Lakshmi Narayana responded to the court's inquiries by proposing a consolidated approach to the multiple cases. He suggested that the case registered at the Nallapadu police station would be treated as the primary proceeding, while the remaining thirty-two cases would be documented as supplementary statements from various complainants.
After considering arguments from both the defense and prosecution, the Andhra Pradesh High Court scheduled the next hearing for March 2, 2025. The court will continue its examination of whether the multiple case registrations represent appropriate legal procedure or constitute an excessive use of judicial resources.
This development highlights ongoing tensions within Andhra Pradesh's political landscape, particularly between the ruling Telugu Desam Party and opposition YSR Congress Party. The court's insistence on proper BNSS guideline implementation underscores the judiciary's role in ensuring procedural fairness in politically sensitive cases.
