Rebel YSRCP MP moves SC seeking bail post arrest in sedition case; claims 'vendetta'

In a big development, rebel YSRCP MP K Raghu Rama Krishna Raju moved the Supreme Court against the Andhra Pradesh HC's order rejecting his bail plea. Arrested on May 14, he was taken to the Crime Investigation Department office in Guntur district where he alleged torture by 5 persons. He has been booked under Sections 124A (sedition), 153B (making remarks that cause communal disharmony or undermine national integration) and 505 (making statements that cause public mischief).

According to the CID, he was indulging in a "systematic, schematic effort to cause tensions among communities and by attacking various government dignitaries in a way that will cause loss of faith in government which they represent". Refusing to grant relief on May 15, the Andhra Pradesh HC directed him to approach the concerned trial judge. However, the plea in the apex court argues that the HC failed to note that he is an MP and a "responsible citizen".

Maintaining that his arrest amounts to a violation of freedom of speech and expression, it alleged personal vendetta by AP CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. The vacation bench of Justices Vineet Saran and BR Gavai will hear Raghu Rama Krishna Raju's plea at 10.30 am on Monday. Earlier, TDP president Chandrababu Naidu sought the intervention of President Ram Nath Kovind and AP Governor Biswabhushan Harichandan over the alleged custodial torture of the rebel YSRCP MP.

MP's tiff with AP CM

Joining YSRCP just before the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, K Raghu Rama Krishna Raju trounced TDP's Vetukuri Venkata Siva Rama Raju by a margin of 31,909 votes. However, he soon adopted a confrontational approach with the YS Jagan Mohan Reddy-led government by openly attacking the ruling party on multiple issues, including alleged religious conversions. He has also been under the CBI scanner for allegedly defrauding banks to the tune of Rs.237.84 crore. It is pertinent to note that he requested PM Modi on April 7 to provide him with security in the national capital.

Raju claimed that he was receiving threat calls after filing a petition on April 6 seeking the cancellation of bail granted to the Andhra Pradesh CM. Citing "reliable sources", the Narasapuram Lok Sabha MP accused Reddy of trying to physically eliminate him using "professional killers" hailing from the YSR Kadapa district. Pointing out that he was entitled to 'Y' category security only in Hyderabad and Andhra Pradesh, Raju urged that a gunman should be deployed with him at all times when he is in Delhi.