The social media wing of the ruling YSR Congress party in Andhra Pradesh is in deep trouble with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) steps up investigation into the alleged abusive posts made by the party’s social media activists against judiciary in general and certain judges in particular.
In the last few days, the CBI arrested three YSRC social media workers – Lingareedy Rajasekhar Reddy, Dhanireddy Konda Reddy and Pamula Sudhir. They were produced before the fourth additional junior civil judge, Guntur and were remanded to judicial custody till August 11.
On Friday, CBI deputy superintendent of police, Visakhapatnam Sanjay Kumar Samal served a notice on Gurrampati Devender Reddy, social media in-charge of YSRC and digital director of Andhra Pradesh government, asking him to appear before the investigating officer at 10 am on Saturday in Vijayawada.
Reddy would be questioned pertaining to the case relating to the defamatory posts against judiciary in social media. The case was booked on November 11 under sections 153a, 504, 505(2), 506 of Indian Penal Code and Section 67 of Information Technology Act.
The arrests by the CBI and the way it has intensified its investigation into the case have shaken the YSRC social media wing. Since these are non-bailable offences, it is very difficult to come out of the remand, unless there is a strong legal back-up for them or the case is dismissed in the court.
What is more shocking is that there has been no support to these activists, either legal or financial, from the YSRC so far. The social media activists are lamenting that not a single leader has come to their rescue so far and nobody bothered to care for them.
“We are sure party president and chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy is not aware of these arrests as no party leader had brought it to his notice about this case. Otherwise, he would have done something to protect us,” a social media activist said.
It may be recalled that in October 2020, a division bench of the Andhra Pradesh High Court comprising Justices Rakesh Kumar and J Uma Devi directed the CBI to probe the comments and social media posts by leaders of YSRC and submit its report in eight weeks.
The judges expressed displeasure on the alleged inaction of the government departments concerned on a complaint lodged by the then Registrar-General of the High Court, while questioning the reason for the alacrity with which the objectionable remarks made on elected representatives of the ruling party were acted upon.
The bench observed that the CBI had better resources at its command to dig out the facts. It said the circumstances under which the Judges were targeted needed to be investigated thoroughly, as such personal attacks were an affront to the judicial wing of democracy.
