For the first time after a gap of four years, rebel YSR Congress Party parliamentarian Kanumuru Raghu Ramakrishna Raju entered his constituency Narasapuram in West Godavari district on Saturday, a day after getting relief from the state high court, which directed the police not to arrest him in any case pending against him and instead, provide him necessary protection.
Raju flew down from New Delhi to Rajahmundry in the afternoon, where he was welcomed by thousands of his followers, besides members of the Telugu Desam Party and Jana Sena party. Later, he left for his native town of Bhimavaram in a big convoy of vehicles.
“The MP had been facing the threat of arrest by the Andhra Pradesh police, who had foisted as many as 12 cases against him. We moved the high court on Friday, requesting the state police not to arrest him without following the proper procedure, like issuance of prior notice under Section 41-A of the Criminal Procedure Code,” Raju’s lawyer P V G Umesh Chandra told HT.
He said Raju was apprehensive that the police might file some more false cases against him and that he might be subjected to harassment. “Even on Friday, the Anantapur police registered a case against the MP under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act on the charges of allegedly abusing and making derogatory statements against senior IPS officer P V Sunil Kumar, former CID chief,” Umesh Chandra said.
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An official note sent by the chief minister’s office said the comments made by the MP in one of the interviews on a television channel a few days ago had the effect of inciting violence among different sections of society and were defamatory in nature.
“Police teams from Anantapur district are actively searching for the MP and have deployed personnel in Hyderabad, Narasapuram, and Rajahmundry in anticipation of his possible arrival in the coming days,” the CMO note said.
The government pleader argued in the court that the investigating officer has discretionary authority under Section 41A CrPC either to issue notice or to arrest within the parameters and it is not an absolute bar to arrest or it is not mandatory to issue notice in all cases.
After hearing arguments from both the sides, justice B S Bhanumathi ordered that the police should not arrest Raju without following the due procedure and provide him protection when he visits the constituency on Saturday.
Speaking to reporters at Bhimavaram, Raju said he was overwhelmed by the love and affection showered by the people of his constituency, though he had come to his native place after four years.
He said he was going to formally resign from the YSRCP in the second week of February. “I am ready to contest the next general elections on behalf of TDP-Jana Sena combine,” he said and thanked TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu and Jana Sena Party president Pawan Kalyan for extending support to him during the crisis.
Raju was elected on the YSRCP ticket from Narasapuram in April 2019 elections, but staged a revolt against party president and chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy in November 2019, questioning the latter’s decision on the formation of three capitals.
Since then, the MP has been questioning the policies of the Jagan government. He could not step into Andhra Pradesh since then, fearing arrest by the police in one case or the other.
On May 14, 2021, when he came to Hyderabad for his birthday celebrations, the Andhra CID police arrested him under the charges of sedition. A week later, the Supreme Court granted him bail. Since then, he had been staying in New Delhi.
