Andhra Pradesh (A.P.) High Court Chief Justice J.K. Maheswari had to adjourn the hearing into the batch of writ petitions that questioned the validity of the ordinance through which the term of State Election Commissioner (SEC) was suddenly reduced, to May 4 due to the unauthorised participation of some advocates in the Video-Conference (V-C) on Wednesday.
Annoyed by the disturbance, Justice Maheswari ordered that the advocates-on-record should physically appear before the court on the above date and no one else be given access to the V-C lest the important proceedings be vitiated again.
Angry Judges
Chief Justice Maheswari and Justice M. Satyanarayana Murthy were hearing the urgent matter through a V-C when advocates who were not at all connected with it accessed the system using a code which was shared with them by fellow advocates who were representing the parties to the dispute.
The judges have reportedly expressed anger at the advocates for what happened. But as the obstruction continued, they adjourned the hearing and ordered physical presence of the advocates.
Only advocates on record
Justice Maheswari insisted that the advocates and others who were given entry passes should strictly follow the lock down guidelines including social distancing, when they come to the court on May 4.
It may be noted that the final hearing into the matter commenced on April 28. IAS officer N. Ramesh Kumar, whose term as the SEC was cut short by the A.P. Panchayat Raj (Second Amendment) Ordinance, 2020 to three years, is the main petitioner.
