During the previous term, the YSR Congress Party faced criticism for targeting actor-politician Pawan Kalyan. Many believe this contributed to their defeat in the recent elections.
After the loss, the party appeared to tone down its attacks on Pawan Kalyan, at least in public discourse. However, a series of legal petitions now seem to be taking the fight into the courts.
Multiple Public Interest Litigations (PILs) have recently been filed against Pawan Kalyan. One petition accused him of misusing his position to increase movie ticket prices. Another argued that active politicians should not act in films, claiming it qualifies as holding an “office of profit.”
Yet another petition requested the court to prohibit Pawan Kalyan’s photographs from being displayed in government offices.
In response, the State Government’s counsel clarified that there is no law barring elected officials from acting in films. The Advocate General also stated that there is no proof of Pawan Kalyan’s involvement in deciding ticket prices.
The High Court accepted both arguments and dismissed the petitions, criticising the petitioners for filing cases lacking strong legal grounds.
In the petition regarding government office photographs, the court stated there is no rule preventing a Deputy Chief Minister’s photo from being displayed. Although this petition hasn’t been dismissed yet, the court’s remarks suggest a similar outcome may follow.
The court further observed that these PILs do not seem to serve genuine public interest. It advised petitioners to bring forward more relevant and substantial matters instead of wasting the court’s time.
This series of petitions has raised questions: Who is behind them? Are political motives involved?
One of the petitioners is reportedly former IAS officer Vijay Kumar, who served in Jagan Mohan Reddy’s Chief Minister’s Office and played a key role in the district reorganisation process.
