The controversy over the appointment of State Election Commissioner in Andhra Pradesh is turning curiouser and curiouser with every passing day.
On Tuesday, yet another petition was filed in the state high court seeking to declare the appointment of Nimmagadda Ramesh Kumar as SEC in 2016 as illegal and void.
The writ of quo warranto was filed by one Srikanth Reddy from Guntur, who demanded that the high court quash the GO No. 11 issued in 2016 appointing Nimmagadda as the SEC.
The petition was filed in the wake of the recent judgement by the state high court stating that the appointment of SEC could not be done in accordance with the state cabinet decision but should be done by the Governor as per his discretion.
“As such, Nimmagadda’s appointment which was made by then TDP government is not legally valid,” the petitioner said. He sought to know with what powers Nimmagadda could continue as the SEC in the wake of the high court observation.
As per Section 200 (2) of the AP Panchayat Raj Act, the Governor could appoint the SEC, who will be a person of the capacity of not less than the principal secretary, as per the recommendation of the government.
“As per the latest high court order, this particular section of the APPR Act, is also illegal and it should be abolished. Similarly, Nimmagadda cannot reclaim his position as SEC,” the petitioner said.
The high court is likely to admit the petition soon and conduct hearings shortly.
