SC slams police-power nexus, asks court to conclude murder trial against YSRCP MLC by Nov 30
New Delhi (PTI): Observing that the Andhra Pradesh Police is in “complete collusion” with those in power, the Supreme Court on Friday ordered that the trial against YSRCP MLC Anantha Satya Udaya Bhaskara Rao in a 2022 case of murder should conclude by November 30.
Rao, an MLC of the then ruling YSRCP, is accused of killing his former driver Veedhi Subramanyam, a Dalit, over a money dispute in May 2022 in Kakinada in Andhra Pradesg. He was arrested on charges of murder and atrocity under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities Act).
Passing a slew of directions with an aim to ensure that the probe and trial ends early, a Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant said in its strong comments, “This is a case of complete collusion and hobnobbing. It is a clear case of the nexus between power and police.”
The bench also comprised Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi.
On September 26, 2022, the Andhra Pradesh High Court dismissed Rao's petition seeking default bail in the high profile murder case. The high court said a chargesheet cannot be termed "incomplete" or "defective" simply because it was returned by a court for technical corrections or missing scientific reports.
On December 12, 2022, the apex court granted Rao interim bail, saying the accused cannot be kept in custody.
On Friday, the CJI-led bench perused the case records and said it was apparent that the state police was “hobnobbing” with the accused and yet he did not get bail from the high court.
The bench asked the chief justice of the Andhra Pradesh high court to entrust the trial in the case to a senior judicial officer who can take up the matter at least once in a week.
While asking the state police to conclude the investigation in the case by March 31, it asked the trial court to complete the issues relating to framing of charges against the lawmaker by April 18, 2026.
The bench granted prosecution time till August 31 to conclude examination of its witnesses in the case.
While granting two months to the accused to lead defence evidence for two months, the bench asked the trial court to conclude the trial by November 30.
It restrained all the courts, including the high court, from passing any order which may lead to halting of trial.
The apex court asked the high court judge in charge of the district where the l will go on to ensure that its procedural directions are followed.
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Topless, brainless, shameless: BJP slams Congress over protest at AI summit, calls Rahul 'traitor'
New Delhi (PTI): The BJP slammed the Congress on Friday for a protest staged by the party's youth wing at the ongoing India AI Impact Summit here, alleging that a "ruckus" was created at the venue of the event on opposition leader Rahul Gandhi's directions to sabotage the country's image before the world.
A group of India Youth Congress (IYC) workers on Friday staged a brief protest at an exhibition hall of Bharat Mandapam, the venue of the AI summit, raising slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, before being whisked away by security personnel.
A senior police officer said around 10 people were detained when they were protesting at the venue of the summit.
Hitting out at the opposition party for the protest, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said, "For the Congress, I have just three words -- topless, brainless and shameless."
He alleged that the Youth Congress held the protest at the behest of Gandhi.
"It was pre-planned. The Congress workers did not just enter the venue randomly. They had pre-registered for the event and obtained a bar code for entry to the venue," Patra said at a press conference at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) headquarters here.
"The entire planning was done at Rahul Gandhi's residence, in the presence of Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. It was not an experiment," Patra claimed.
He alleged that the protest at the summit venue was not an "experiment" but a "deliberate attempt" by Rahul Gandhi to malign India's image.
"Rahul Gandhi and the Congress are traitors of the highest order. Whenever the country is progressing, they will definitely do something to spoil the atmosphere. They are traitors," the BJP leader said.
Reacting sharply to the development, Union minister Piyush Goyal said the protest put the Congress's "arrogance and frustration on display", and asked Gandhi if "humiliating" India to target the BJP-led Centre is his "idea of opposition".
"While you want to choke India's development by peddling lies about the recent trade deals, your foot soldiers are marching shirtless at the prestigious AI Summit, attempting to embarrass 140 crore Indians globally," the senior BJP leader said in a post on X, flaying Gandhi over the protest.
"This disruption strategy only exposes your (Gandhi) and your party's lack of vision for India," Goyal added.
Union minister Gajendra Shekhawat also hit out at Gandhi over the protest, saying it is not surprising to see the followers of the "pea-brained and immature" Congress leader take their shirts off and run around vulgarly at the summit venue.
"Remember, when their pea-brained, immature leader Rahul Gandhi laughs in front of a dead body and wipes his nose on his own party president in public, it's no surprise then that his followers strip their shirts and run around vulgarly at an AI Summit," he said in a post on X.
"Leadership sets the standard, and this is exactly what they reflect," he added.
BJP leader Amit Malviya said, "At a time when India is hosting a prestigious global AI Summit, showcasing its innovation and leadership in technology, the Congress party chose disruption over dignity."
The IT department head of the saffron party criticised the Youth Congress workers for taking their shirts off and creating a ruckus at the summit venue, saying the act was "clearly designed to embarrass India on the world stage".
When the country is striving to position itself as a global technology powerhouse, such conduct only serves the interests of those who wish to see it falter, he added.
"Political opposition is a democratic right, but sabotaging India's global image is not," Malviya said in a post on X, stressing, "India deserves better."
Reacting sharply to the protest, BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari wrote on X: "Shame on Congress Party. Congress behaves like Urban Naxals. Cong is an anti-India party."
He alleged that the Youth Congress workers stormed the summit venue and raised "objectionable slogans on the instructions of Rahul Gandhi".
"Rahul Gandhi, Congress and Gandhi-Vadra family should apologise to the country and its youth," Bhandari said.
Meanwhile, a picture has surfaced on the social media, in which Gandhi is seen walking along with Narsimha Yadav, who allegedly organised the protest at the AI summit venue.
Patra claimed that Yadav is the national coordinator of the Congress's youth wing.
