Andhra Pradesh High Court quashes GO No 1

The Andhra Pradesh High Court on Friday quashed the controversial GO No 1 issued by the State Government on 2 January 2023. The government issued the order restricting rallies and meetings on roads and highways. Challenging the GO, CPI State Secretary K Ramakrishna filed a PIL in the court.

Similarly, Telugu Desam leader Kollu Ravindra, former minister Kanna Lakshminarayana, APCC president Gidugu Veera Venkata Raju and others moved the court against the order pointing out that the order was aimed at preventing opposition parties from holding meetings. They urged the Andhra Pradesh High Court to quash GO No 1 immediately. Accepting the pleas, a special bench of the high court heard them on 24 January and reserved the judgment.

On Friday, the court squashed the GO opining that it was a violation of fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution. It may be recalled here that the State Government issued the order when two persons were killed in the stampede at a rally organised by the opposition TDP in Kandukur and a couple of persons were injured in a similar incident in Nellore. The government, while issuing the order, stated that it was aimed at regulating rallies and meetings on public roads and highways.

Bharatiya Janata Party State President Somu Veerraju, CPI State Secretary K Ramakrishna and leaders of Telugu Desam Party welcomed the High Court order. Meanwhile, Minister Karumuri Nageswara Rao, reacting to the quashing of GO No 1 by the High Court, said the government would move the Supreme Court on it. The GO was aimed at saving the lives of the people, he added.

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