Vijayawada: The Andhra Pradesh High Court has heard the petitions filed by farmers seeking its direction to ministers as also ruling party MLAs and MPs to avoid causing hurdles in the way of their Padayatra.
The court also heard petitions seeking withdrawal of the permission for the Padayatra and posted the plea for the next hearing to Friday.
In the petition filed by Amaravathi Parirakshana Samithi farmers, the court was urged to issue a direction to restrain ministers and others from causing hurdles in the way of their Padayatra.
The padayatra, being held by farmers from Amavarati to Arisavilli, is to mobilise support for their insistence to keep Amaravati as AP capital. They also sought a court direction to the police to observe basic norms while dealing with the farmers’ Yatra.
The AP DGP filed a petition with a plea to the court to withdraw the permission it gave to the farmers to take out the rally.
Amaravati Parirakshana Samithi farmers’ counsel Muralidhara Rao reminded the court that it had permitted 600 farmers to take part in the Yatra. “The police insisted on the participants to show their ID cards (to ascertain their bona fides.) This was done within half an hour after the court issued the instructions on Oct. 21. The police pulled out of the Yatra all those who had no ID cards.”
He submitted to the court that the police were handling the women roughly and hence the samithi temporarily suspended the rally.
Advocate general S. Sriram argued that there was no truth in the allegations of the petitioners.
The court ruled out any amendment to the single judge order issued earlier and advised the petitioners to file a review petition if they wanted some changes in the earlier order.
The farmers also pleaded before the court that the non-farmers who supported the Padayatra be allowed to join the rally either in the front of it or at the back and not to restrict the permission to only 600 persons. “Some have fallen sick and moved out of the rally. In their slots, others may be allowed to take part,” the plea before the court said.
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