Hyderabad, September 18: It is official. Justice CV Nagarjuna Reddy of the Andhra Pradesh High Court resigned late on Thursday night hours after Telangana advocates created a ruckus in his court room. But, suspense continued on Friday over whether he would withdraw his resignation even as Telangana lawyers showed no signs of toning down their protests seeking 42 per cent quota in judicial posts.
Scores of advocates from civil and criminal courts converged on the high court but this time, police, acting on the directions of the court, bundled them into buses and took over 60 of them into custody.
Justice Nagarjuna Reddy reportedly refused to withdraw his resignation despite pleas by Chief Justice Nissar Ahmed Kakru and Chief Minister K Rosaiah. Forest Minister P Ramachandra Reddy called on Justice Nagarjuna Reddy this morning on behalf of the State government but could not make much of an impression on him. Later, Justice Nagarjuna Reddy met the Chief Justice at the high court and left soon after. He reportedly told the Chief Justice that he had decided to quit as he could not protect the decorum of the court and became a mere spectator when striking lawyers ransacked court halls.
Telangana Congress MPs Madhu Yashki and G Vivek, meanwhile, brought the protesting lawyers to the negotiating table in the evening. A delegation of 10 Telangana lawyers led by Rajender Reddy held talks with Information and Public Relations Minister J Geeta Reddy for three hours. Their main demands were: removal of DV Sitarama Murthy as Advocate General; 42 per cent judicial posts for genuine Telangana lawyers; and scrapping of all cases against T advocates.
After the talks, Geeta Reddy met the Chief Minister who advised her to meet Law Minister Mopidevi Venkata Ramana, who is one of the three members of the GoM constituted to look into the issue. Accordingly, she met the minister along with the two Congress MPs where she is understood to have putforth the argument of the lawyers that “Andhra settlers” were cornering posts meant for “genuine Telangana people.”
After the meeting, Madhu Yashki told Express that ever since YS Rajasekhara Reddy took over as chief minister in 2004, 40 per cent of the posts were being filled by Telangana people only. The task before the government now is to plug loopholes if any to prevent “settlers” from “grabbing” the posts. The “settlers” could be given posts from their 60 per cent quota but not from the 40 per cent quota of the Telangana region, Yashki said. After the meeting, the MP met the Telangana lawyers.
—Agencies