The Andhra Pradesh High Court has quashed the controversial GO No 1 order issued by the state government on 2 January 2023, which restricted rallies and meetings on roads and highways. The order was challenged by CPI State Secretary K Ramakrishna, who filed a PIL in the court, and other leaders, including Telugu Desam leader Kollu Ravindra, former minister Kanna Lakshminarayana, and APCC president Gidugu Veera Venkata Raju.
A special bench of the high court heard the pleas on 24 January and reserved the judgment, which was finally announced on Friday. The court opined that the order was a violation of fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution. The state government had issued the order in response to the stampede at a rally organised by the opposition TDP in Kandukur, which resulted in the death of two people, and an incident in Nellore, where a couple of persons were injured.
Many political leaders welcomed the High Court’s decision, including Bharatiya Janata Party State President Somu Veerraju, CPI State Secretary K Ramakrishna, and leaders of Telugu Desam Party. However, Minister Karumuri Nageswara Rao said that the government would move the Supreme Court on the matter as the order was aimed at saving the lives of people.
The controversy around the order emerged because it was seen as an attempt to prevent opposition parties from holding rallies and meetings, which led to the filing of the PIL challenging the order. The High Court’s decision has put an end to the debate around the order, and it remains to be seen how the state government responds to it.