Relief for Jagan Mohan Reddy in roadshow tragedy: AP HC halts police action till July 1

Amaravati: The Andhra Pradesh High Court on Friday granted interim relief to YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, restraining the police from taking any coercive action against him in connection with the recent death of a party supporter during his roadshow.

The court also extended the same protection to other individuals named as accused in the case, including YSRCP Rajya Sabha MP YV Subba Reddy and former ministers Ambati Rambabu and V Rajini.

Incident during roadshow

The case pertains to an incident that took place on 18 June, when Reddy visited Rentapalla village in Palnadu district. He was there to meet the family of a YSRCP leader who had died by suicide a year earlier, reportedly due to harassment by leaders of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the police.

During the visit, C Singayya, a supporter of YSRCP, allegedly fell under a vehicle in Reddy’s convoy and later succumbed to his injuries.

Initially, police stated that Singayya had not fallen under a vehicle in Reddy's convoy. However, based on what they described as new evidence, they later claimed the vehicle in question did belong to Reddy's convoy. This led to the police booking the former Chief Minister and others over the incident. The driver of the vehicle was listed as Accused No 1, and Reddy as Accused No 2.

Petition filed to quash FIR

Following the FIR, Jagan Mohan Reddy filed a petition in the Andhra Pradesh High Court seeking to quash the charges against him. His counsel, P Sudhakar Reddy, told the court that the principle of vicarious responsibility does not apply in criminal cases.

“Generally, vicarious responsibility—making others too responsible for an incident, though they may not be directly connected—is not applicable in criminal cases,” said Reddy’s advocate.

He further informed the court that until the next hearing on 1 July, no coercive steps should be taken against the former Chief Minister.

Hearing adjourned

The High Court has adjourned the matter to 1 July for further hearing, while maintaining the interim protection for Jagan Mohan Reddy and the other accused. The legal proceedings will now continue in the coming week.