Amaravati (Andhra Pradesh): In a big blow to the YS Jagan government, the Andhra Pradesh High Court on Saturday ordered reinstatement of N Ramesh Kumar as the State Election Commissioner (SEC).
The court struck down the ordinance issued on April 10 to sack Ramesh Kumar as the SEC following a row over the postponement of local body elections.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice J.K. Maheswari and M. Satyanarayana Murthy ruled that Ramesh Kumar will continue as SEC with immediate effect. It set aside the appointment of V. Kanagaraj as the new SEC.
The court pronounced its order while dealing with 13 petitions including the petition filed by Ramesh Kumar challenging his sacking.
Follwoing the court order, Kumar took charge as the SEC.
Earlier in April this year, the government had removed Ramesh Kumar by issuing an ordinance to reduce SEC's term from five years to three years.
The ordinance brought down the term of SEC from five years to three years, thus abruptly ending the term of Ramesh Kumar who was appointed in 2016. It also has a provision to re-appoint the SEC for another term of three years.
Read:Retd Judge Kanagaraj takes charge as new Andhra Pradesh SEC
The ordinance had also changed the eligibility for SEC. According to it, the Governor on the recommendation of the government shall appoint a person, who has held an office of the judge of a high court, as SEC.
Retired Madras High Court Judge Justice V Kanagaraj then took charge as the new SEC.
Kumar, an IAS officer, had strained relations with the Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, who had personally met the governor to complain against him on March 14 hours after the SEC postponed the elections to rural and urban local bodies were scheduled on March 21 and 23 respectively.
Ramesh Kumar cited precautionary measures required to check the spread of coronavirus for postponing the polls.
This had triggered angry reaction from YSR Congress Party government, which accused him of acting at the behest of opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP).
(With inputs from agencies)
