A delegation of the Bezawada Bar Association (BBA) submitted a memorandum to Andhra Pradesh High Court Chief Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra on Friday, requesting him to take note of the “curtailment of freedom of speech by the CID” in summoning advocates Sunkara Rajendra Prasad (member of the BBA and Bar Council of A.P.), Gottipati Ramakrishna Prasad and Jada Shravan Kumar (member of the A.P. High Court Advocates’ Association) for making statements on the arrest of chartered accountant K. Sravan in the Margadarsi Chit Funds case.
Mr. Rajendra Prasad and Mr. Ramakrishna Prasad, BBA president K.B. Sundar, secretary J. Sridhar, vice-president P. Srinivas and secretary P. Jayalakshmi, among others, told the Chief Justice that the advocates were not witnesses in the crime and they were only expressing their opinion on the alleged misuse of power by the CID.
They pointed out that the issuance of notices by the CID under Sections 91 and 160 of the Criminal Procedure Code was in clear violation of the Supreme Court’s directions in the Arnesh Kumar case.
The CID asked the advocates to appear before the additional Superintendent of Police at the Vijayawada regional office to be examined with regard to their knowledge of Mr. Sravan’s arrest in the above case.
The CID contended that the advocates’ statements were aimed at interfering with the process of investigation and intimidating the officers concerned. The intention behind it was to threaten the advocates and implicate them in false cases, the BBA delegation complained to the Chief Justice.
