The Supreme Court on Wednesday stayed the order of the Andhra Pradesh High Court which had issued a gag order on media houses and social media comments on the alleged land scam in Amaravati. The Supreme Court was hearing a petition filed by the Andhra government appealing against the stay ordered by the High Court on the probe into the alleged land scam as well as the media gag. While the Supreme Court has not issued any order on the probe into the FIR filed in relation with the alleged scam, the Supreme Court has stayed the media gag order.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the parties involved to file counter-affidavits and posted the matter for further hearing in January, reports Live Law. The Supreme Court has also asked the HC not to decide on the writ petition filed by TDP leader Varla Ramaiah against the FIR and the probe ordered into the alleged land scam.
The FIR filed by the Andhra Pradesh Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) in the alleged land scam case accuses several people of abusing their official position to buy land in Amaravati before it was officially announced as the capital by the previous Chandrababu Naidu-led TDP government. A probe by a ministerial sub-committee has alleged a scam that involved a purchase of 4,069.94 acres in Krishna and Guntur districts through the acts of "insider trading."
The High Court had earlier stayed the orders related to the constitution of the SIT, as well as a cabinet sub-committee meant to review the decisions taken by the previous TDP regime, based on a writ petition filed by TDP leader Varla Ramaiah. While issuing the stay order, the High Court had ruled that the YSRCP government must have legislative approval in order to review the previous government’s decisions.