BJP Leader Seeks To Initiate Contempt Proceedings Against Andhra Pradesh CM

BJP leader and lawyer Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay on Sunday wrote to Attorney General K K Venugopal seeking his consent to initiate contempt proceedings against Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy and his press advisor for making allegations against a Supreme Court judge.

Upadhyay said the letter written by the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister “scandalises” the authority of both the Supreme Court and the High Court and interferes with the judicial proceedings and the administration of justice. “Even worse, if this kind of precedent is allowed, political leaders will start making reckless allegations against judges who do not decide cases in their favour and this trend would soon spell the death knell of an independent judiciary," Upadhyay wrote in his letter.

Upadhyay has sought to initiate contempt proceedings against the AP chief minister under Section 15 of the Contempt of Courts Act. “I am therefore seeking your kind consent under Section 15(1)(b) of the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971 read with Rule 3 of the Rules to Regulate Proceedings for Contempt of the Supreme Court, 1975 to initiate criminal contempt against Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh and Shri Ajeya Kallam, Press Advisor of the Government of Andhra Pradesh,” Upadhyay added.

It has been two weeks since Reddy's letter was released in the public domain, and as yet, there has been no suo-motu contempt action initiated by the Supreme Court, the advocate said in his letter.

In an unprecedented move, AP Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy wrote to the CJI, alleging that the Andhra Pradesh High Court was being used to "destabilise and topple my democratically elected government." He had requested the CJI to look into the matter and consider initiating steps "as may be considered fit and proper to ensure that the state judiciary's neutrality is maintained.”