A former sessions judge K. Ravinder Reddy who led a revolt by judges in protest against retention of judges of Andhra Pradesh origin in courts of Telangana two years ago has joined the Telangana Jana Samiti on Saturday.
As a special judge for National Investigation Agency cases, he had resigned within hours of delivering the verdict in the case of bomb blast at Mecca Masjid in April. The prime accused in the decade-old case Swami Aseemanand and some others were acquitted.
Mr. Reddy was the president of Telangana Judges Association which organised a rally near the Telangana Martyrs’ Memorial here two years ago demanding bifurcation of subordinate judiciary. He was among 11 judges suspended by the High Court but reinstated after a month. The protest attracted nationwide attention and intervention by the Supreme Court.
ADVERTISEMENT
Speaking to media persons after TJS president M. Kodandaram admitted him into the party, Mr. Reddy accused caretaker Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao and his family of cornering the fruits of separate Telangana. He said the Statehood was not achieved by Mr. Rao alone. The ‘million march’ and ‘Sagara Haaram’ programmes led by Mr. Kodandaram were crucial to achieving the Statehood.
Mr. Kodandaram hoped that the seat sharing negotiations of Congress and its alliance partners, including TJS, will be clinched by Vijayadasami.