A court in Hyderabad on Friday directed the city police to book a criminal case against the 16 Andhra Pradesh ministers from Andhra and Rayalseema region for calling Telangana state supporters 'anti national.'
The court directed the Saifabad police station on Friday to book a case against the ministers under sections 499, 500 and 153 A of the Indian Penal Code and start investigations.
The court issued the orders on a petition filed by advocate Sri Ganga Rao on behalf of the Telangana Lawyers Joint Action committee. The court asked the police to report back by August 25 about the action taken.
With this the storm over Andhra-Seema ministers representation to Sri Krishna committee has further intensified. The ministers led by endowment minister Gade Venkat Reddy had met the committee last week and submitted a detailed representation opposing the demand for separate Telangana.
The representation had described the demand as 'anti national' saying such demands will pose a threat to integrity of the country. They had also criticised the Central government for setting up a committee to look in to such 'anti national demand.'
Telangana lawyers moved the court against the ministers a day after Telangana Rashtra Samiti, Bharatiya Janata Party and Telangana Joint Action Committee leaders met the state governor ESL Narasimhan demanding that he should make the ministers tender an apology to the people of Telangana or else dismiss them.
The governor assured the delegation led by TRS President K Chandrasekhara Rao that he will seek the copy of the representation submitted by the ministers to Sri Krishna committee and take the necessary steps.
Apart from TRS, BJP and other pro-Telangana organisations, many within the Congress have also demanded that the ministers should be sacked for making such 'offending remarks against the people of Telangana.'
Meanwhile, Gade Venkat Reddy once again denied making any such remarks against people of Telangana. " I have highest regard for the leaders and the people of Telangana," he told the mediapersons on Friday.