The Andhra Pradesh High Court has dropped contempt proceedings against Chief Minister Dr Y S Rajasekhar Reddy and AP Congress Committee president Dr K Keshav Rao.
They faced contempt proceedings for making allegedly contemptuous comments against the verdict of the single judge of the high court in regard to the panchayat raj elections earlier this year.
Justice P S Narayana on Monday closed the contempt case wherein show cause notices were issued to both the chief minister and the PCC president earlier, following a letter addressed by Rama Rao, a resident of Khammam, bringing to the notice of the court the allegedly derogatory comments made to the media by the two leaders about the judgement of the single judge.
The court initiated suo motu contempt proceedings against them.
Senior counsels S S Prasad and S R Ashok, appearing for the chief minister and the PCC president respectively, made it clear that the leaders have utmost respect for the court and requested the court to drop proceedings in view of the clarification and unqualified explanation.
Their counsels blamed the media for kicking up the controversy. Justice Narayana sought Advocate-General C V Mohan Reddy's opinion on the matter. Mohan Reddy, who is the prosecutor under the Contempt of Courts Act, opined that it was in the best interests of everybody that the matter be closed.
Thereafter, the judge said that contempt move was dropped to uphold the dignity of the concerned institutions.