AP Goes To Supreme Court Against HC Order On SEC Issue

AMARAVATI: The Andhra Pradesh government on Monday approached the Supreme Court challenging the Andhra Pradesh High Court Order setting aside its ordinance amending the tenure of office of state election commissioner (SEC) and service regulations pertaining to it.

The Andhra Pradesh High Court, while setting aside the ordinance, has also annulled the state government’s order appointing retired high court judge Justice V Kanagaraj as the state election commissioner. Unable to concur with the high court’s decisions, the Andhra Pradesh government has decided to knock at the doors of the apex court for relief.

After due consultations with legal experts, the state government on Monday filed a Special Leave Petition (SLP) in the Supreme Court. The apex court is likely to take up the state government’s petition for hearing very soon.

Incidentally, within hours of the Andhra Pradesh High Court recently ordering the state government for his restoration as the state election commissioner, former IAS officer Nimmagadda Ramesh Kumar came up with a circular of self-declaration of his restoration to the position.

Reacting on this a day later, Andhra Pradesh Advocate General Subrahmanyam Sriram contended that since the state high court has ruled that the state council of ministers has no power to recommend names for the post of SEC, the very appointment of Ramesh Kumar to the said post itself becomes invalid. Against this backdrop, the orders by Ramesh Kumar by a circular to restore himself to the position will also be not valid, Sriram claimed.