Restore Security To Advocate: SC

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday pulled up the Andhra Pradesh government for withdrawing security to an advocate that had been provided at the apex court’s direction and asked it to restore it.Judges Deepak Verma and S J Mukhopadhyay said the state’s director-general of police would have to face contempt of court if he does not provide police protection to R Chandrasekhar Reddy.Police protection was provided by the apex court after Chandrasekhar Reddy alleged that he was facing a threat to his life after he filed a public interest litigation in the Supreme Court challenging the state government’s decision to release 1500 prisoners in 2007.“How can you withdraw police protection when it was done on the court’s orders? You might have to face contempt,” the bench warned the state government. The court was hearing an interim application by Chandrasekhar Reddy in which he said he continues to face a threat. The apex court had in August 2007 stayed the Andhra Pradesh government’s plan to release 1,500 prisoners, including life convicts, on the occasion of 150 years of the First War of Independence.The court passed the order on a PIL filed by Chandrasekhar Reddy questioning the release of prisoners, alleging that the government wanted to benefit a Cong worker Gouru Venkata Reddy, who was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment .