In a reprieve to YSR Congress Party MLA Pinnelli Ramakrishna Reddy, the Andhra Pradesh High Court on Tuesday granted him interim bail in three cases in poll-related offences.
The court directed the police not to take any action till June 6.
The court had on Monday reserved its judgment on Ramakrishna Reddy’s petition seeking anticipatory bail in cases registered against him for committing poll-related offences in his constituency on May 13.
These are three new cases booked against him for allegedly perpetrating violence on polling day.
The court had last week granted him interim protection from arrest in the case of destruction of an EVM at a polling station in the constituency.
The police were directed not to take any action till June 5.
The judge had ordered that the MLA should be allowed to visit the counting centre only on the day of counting of votes, i.e. June 4.
Justice Venkata Jyothirmai Pratapa had on Monday also heard arguments on two petitions opposing any relief to Ramakrishna Reddy.
The counsel of the petitioners argued that the legislator’s criminal history must be taken into consideration and allowing the accused to enter the counting centre would not be good.
The court was told on behalf of the petitioners that if the legislator was granted anticipatory bail, he would threaten the witnesses and even tamper with the evidence.
On May 23, the High Court had granted anticipatory bail to the MLA in an EVM smashing case. The incident had occurred at a polling booth in Macherla constituency on May 13 during polling for simultaneous elections to the state Assembly and Lok Sabha.
Ramakrishna Reddy, who is seeking re-election from Macherla as a YSRCP candidate for a fifth-consecutive term, was booked by police under Sections 143, 147, 448, 427, 353, 452 and 120 (B) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Sections 131 and 135 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, and Section 3 of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property (PDPP) Act, 1984.
In the video that went viral on May 21, Ramakrishna Reddy is seen walking into a polling booth and smashing the EVM on the ground. Taking a serious note of the incident, the Election Commission had ordered his arrest.
