Former minister Kodali Nani is set to face legal proceedings in a case linked to the 2021 panchayat elections, after the Andhra Pradesh government granted prosecution sanction.
The case goes back to February 2021, when panchayat elections were underway and the Model Code of Conduct was in force. During that period, Kodali Nani allegedly made controversial remarks against then State Election Commissioner Nimmagadda Ramesh Kumar and TDP chief N. Chandrababu Naidu.
The comments triggered a political storm at the time, with complaints being filed before the Election Commission. Following a report from the State Election Commission, Gudivada police registered a case against Nani on February 16, 2021.
Although the investigation was completed long ago, the case remained stuck at a procedural stage. Since Kodali Nani was serving as a minister in the YSRCP government at the time, prosecution sanction was required before the court could proceed further.
That hurdle has now been cleared.
According to the government order, authorities examined the available material and found sufficient grounds to permit prosecution. The Home Department subsequently issued orders allowing the case to move forward.
The sanction does not establish guilt, nor does it amount to a conviction. It simply enables the judicial process to continue after a delay of more than four years.
Politically, the development is significant because it comes amid renewed scrutiny of several cases involving leaders from the previous YSRCP regime. The coalition government is likely to project it as a matter of due process, while YSRCP leaders may view it as politically motivated.
Either way, a case that had remained largely dormant since 2021 is now back in motion.
The legal battle will now move from government files to the courtroom, where the allegations and evidence will finally face judicial scrutiny.
