AP HC Expresses Ire On Lawyers For Derogatory Online Posts Against Judiciary

AMARAVATI: The CBI had filed cases against two advocates and a businessman related to a probe into alleged derogatory posts made online against judges of the Supreme Court and high courts, officials said on Sunday. Advocates Metta Chandrasekhar Rao and Kalanidhi Gopalakrishna and another person Gunta Ramesh Rao were taken into custody y in connection with the cases being probed by the agency on the orders of the Andhra Pradesh High Court.

The Central Bureau of Investigation has registered several cases/FIRs against the accused allegedly involved in intentionally targeting the Hon'ble Judges and Judiciary through interviews/social media/posts/speeches in online platforms, maliciously attributing ulterior motives in delivery of orders/judgments. The accused had filed bail petitions in the High Court and Justice Manavendranath Roy heard the case which had come up for hearing on Thursday.

Senior Advocates KG Krishnamurthy, Hemendranath Reddy, and Advocate Kodandrami Reddy appeared for the petitioners. They argued that Metta Chandrasekhara Rao and Gopalakrishna Kalanidhi regretted their remarks and had also apologized in writing to the court and promised not to make such remarks in the future. They requested the court to consider this and also their age and health conditions and grant them bail.

At this juncture, the Judge responded by saying that as lawyers they had to defend the prestige of the judiciary. He questioned that by making such derogatory statements were they not putting down the stature, such actions were not to be tolerated, Justice Roy stated.

CBI counsel K Chennakesavulu in his submissions that the petitioners should not be granted bail. The lower court remanded the accused in CBI custody for several days and said that the lawyer Gopalakrishna was under medical supervision as he was suffering from an illness. Bail should not be granted while custody orders are in force as it would lead to legal implications, he informed.

The CBI counsel said that they were to be kept in judicial remand after the end of CBI custody. After hearing arguments from both sides, the judge adjourned the case to February 21.

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