In an unprecedented move, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy has complained to the Chief Justice of India Justice S.A. Bobde against a senior judge of the Supreme Court, who is seen as the "CJI-in-waiting".
The Chief Minister has made several serious allegations against the Supreme Court judge, claiming he was acting on behalf of the Telugu Desam Party and that he was very close to opposition leader and former chief minister Chandrababu Naidu.
In an annexure to the letter to Chief Justice Of India, the Chief Minister has expressed "pain and anguish" that the "august institution of the high court is being used to destabilise and topple the democratically elected government''. It's not, however, clear how these so-called attempts are being made.
The letter also says that the Supreme Court judge was influencing the Andhra Pradesh High Court, and it names the High court Chief Justice and four other judges. It has been alleged the high court judges, who have been named, were rostered to handle the cases that were important for Chandrababu Naidu and the Telugu Desam.
The Chief Minister has listed out cases and examples and shared documents as proof that judgments have been allegedly delivered in favour of the Telugu Desam leaders and the ones which allegedly "obstructed the work of his own government, both in policy decisions and investigations initiated to expose alleged corruption during the time of Chandrababu Naidu as chief minister".
The formal complaint handed over on Thursday (October 8) was dated October 6, 2020, the same day that the Chief Minister met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi, in what was described as a routine meeting, to discuss various issues of Andhra Pradesh, including request for pending dues to the government.
About two weeks before that, Jagan Reddy had met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi.
On Saturday, Ajeya Kallam, advisor to the Andhra Pradesh government who is a retired bureaucrat and former chief secretary, read out a statement in English on behalf of the government at a press conference in Vijayawada but said he would not take any follow-up questions.
The letter sent to the Chief Justice of India gives examples of what the state government has called "judicial impropriety" including a gag order on media reporting, stopping of investigation in a case involving alleged land deals in which a former advocate general and daughter of the supreme court judge are accused of wrong-doing.
The Chief Minister has asked the Chief Justice of India to "consider initiating such steps as may be considered fit and proper to ensure that the state judiciary's neutrality is maintained".
The Supreme Court judge, who has been accused of bias, has not yet reacted to the controversy.
