Governor Biswa Bhusan Harichandan has directed the government to take necessary action for the reinstatement of N. Ramesh Kumar as State Election Commissioner (SEC) as per the High Court judgement dated May 29.
This was communicated to Mr. Ramesh Kumar by the Governor's secretary two days after the former submitted a representation to the Governor seeking his restoration as SEC.
During its hearing on July 17 on the contempt petition filed by Mr. Ramesh Kumar, the High Court said he was at liberty to represent his case to the Governor. Accordingly, he met the Governor on July 20.
It was stated in the letter sent to Mr. Ramesh Kumar on July 21 that the government has been instructed to implement the High Court judgment which came in his favour.
The Governor's direction came at a time when the Special Leave Petition filed by the government against the High Court verdict and it's application for staying the contempt proceedings initiated by Mr. Ramesh Kumar are pending disposal in the Supreme Court.
The High Court had on May 29 struck down the AP Panchayat Raj (Second Amendment) Ordinance, 2020 through which the government curtailed the tenure of SEC from five to three years and the consequent appointment of Madras High Court retired judge V. Kanagaraj as new SEC.
The court had then ordered that Mr. Ramesh Kumar should be restored as SEC, which was challenged in the apex court by the government, which asserted that his act of self-restoration as SEC was beyond the conceivable mandate of law.
