KASU KRISHNA REDDY Vs. CENTRAL ELECTION COMMISSION

JUDGEMENT

(1.) AN unfortunate incident has occurred on 28th August, 1999 at 10 p. m. at Narasaraopet of Guntur District. A place where life is infused, four lives were snuffed out. Instead of life-saving material, there was found life-threatening material i. e. , bombs and bomb-making material, which have exploded. Result was loss of four lives, who succumbed to seveie bomb-blast injuries. The building was rocked and some portion of it was blown off into rubbles. The scene of offence is Nursing Home-cum-residence at Rajakota Centre of Narasaraopet run under the name and style of Lakshmi Nursing Home/ Palnadu Poly Clinic. In a three-storied building on an area of 3850 sq. yards (3250 sq. yards standing in the name of Dr. Kodela Siva Prasad Rao and 600 sq. yards standing in the name of his wife Smt. Kodela Sashikala ). Dr. Kodela Sivaprasad Rao, the Minister for Panchayat Raj resides in one of the portions alongwith his family members, who include his wife-Smt. Kodela Shashikala, his two sons and his father-Mr. Kodela Sanjeevaiah along with host of servants. In other portion, hospital is run and yet another portion is being used for the Office of Telugu Desam Party.

(2.) THE case assumed importance as the blast occurred on the eve of ensuing elections to the Assembly and Parliamentary Constituencies. Elections have been notified on 11th August, 1999 for 17-Narasaraopet Parliamentary Constituency and 7 of its Assembly segments of which 109-Narasaraopet is the one. The petitioner is the contestant to the said Assembly Constituency as the nominee of Congress-I Party, while Dr. Kodela Sivaprasad Rao, who is presently a Minister in the Cabinet of State Government is the contestant on behalf of the ruling Telugu Desam Party. Suffice it to say that the incident had sent shock waves through out the State. Narasaraopet and the surrounding areas were tense.

(3.) CRIME No. 336/99 was registered by Narasaraopet Town Police Station for the offences Under Sections 3 and 5 of Explosive Substances Act, on the report given by Circle Inspector of Police, as it is stated that nobody came forward to lodge a complaint. Four persons, namely, Yelavarthy Raghunadha Rao alias Raghu, Gadiparthi Srinivasa Rao alias Choudhary Sreenu, Poodota Satish Kumar and Seedamsetty Koteswar Rao alias Koti died in the said incident. While Yelavarthi Raghunadha Rao alias Raghu died on the spot, three others were struggling for their lives with severe blast injuries. They were shifted to Peoples Trauma and Emergency Hospital, Guntur. But, Gadiparthi Srinivasa Rao alias Choudhary Sreenu succumbed to injuries on the way to the hospital, while Poodota Satish Kumar died immediately on reaching the said hospital and Seedamsetty Koteswar Rao died a little later.