SC Asks AP Govt to Produce ‘Proof’ of Maoist Presence in Osmania

The Supreme Court has asked the Andhra Pradesh government to provide ‘proof’ of the reported intelligence inputs about Maoists having infiltrated into the Osmania University, the nerve centre of Telangana movement, said media reports.

“Where is the input of the infiltration inside the campus? What is the proof available? We would like to have it,” observed the apex court while giving the directive.

Senior counsel Harish Salve said that the inputs would be produced before the bench either tomorrow or the day after, following which the court posted the hearing for February 25, reports said.

A bench comprising of Justices G S Singhvi and Asok Kumar Ganguly passed the directive after Salve repeated the state’s arguments that deployment of paramilitary forces was indispensable as the movement is instigated by the Maoists, reports said.

At the same time, the court extended till February 25 the stay imposed on the AP High Court order directing withdrawal of the paramilitary forces from the university campus, said reports.

Andhra Pradesh government had moved the apex court challenging High Court’s order and contended that it cannot order the removal of paramilitary forces from the campus which is a hotbed of the agitation for a separate Telangana state.

The bench had said the single judge was right in his analysis that the Rapid Action Force personnel were deployed in the university campus without any study of the situation.

(Based on internet reports)