Hyderabad: The Hyderabad High Court on Monday asked the Andhra Pradesh government to furnish the names of elected representatives, who made statements on TV channels against its order on implementing a ban on cock fights during Sankranti.
The court said that if the government not willing to furnish their names, they will obtain their names through TV footages and implead them as respondents to the case.
A division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Ramesh Ranga-nathan and Justice MSK Jaiswal was dealing with a PIL by Kalidindi Ramchandra Raju, a native of West Godavari district, seeking to declare the inaction of respondent authorities in curbing the unauthorised gaming, illegal sale of liquor and prostitution at Sankranti at Vempa - Srirampuram villages in his district as illegal.
The bench directed the authorities to find out the elected representatives, who had organised the cock fights, and inform to it the cases booked against them.
Stating that they have watched the statements of politicians, the bench said that it would not proper on the part of the politicians to provoke the people and to speak against the court order.
Mr Dinesh Kumar, Chief Secretary of AP, appeared before the court following its order and submitted a report to the court.
Mr Dammalapati Srinivas, advocate-general, submitted that the number of cock fights has decreased this year when compared with last year.
He told the court that though the police have imposed Section 144 to prevent the cock fights, some people organised the cock fights as a part of the culture and as large number of children and women took part in them. “Police could not able to use the force in view of safety of women and children,” he said.
