Justice N V Ramana (retd) disclosed Saturday that the Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy government filed police cases against his family to target him before he became the Chief Justice of India in 2021 because they supported Amaravati capital city project of Andhra Pradesh.
"All of you present here know how my family was targeted and criminal cases were filed against them. All this was done only to coerce me," he said while addressing students at the convocation ceremony of VIT-AP at Amaravati.
The Jagan Reddy government diluted the previous N Chandrababu Naidu government's Amaravati capital project by announcing the trifurcation of the capital, which was opposed by farmers whose land had already been acquired.
The farmers agitated for five years from 2019 till 2024 and the trifurcation idea was dropped after the Chandrababu Naidu government returned to office last year.
Justice Ramana slams attempts to crush farmers’ movement
Recalling his deep association with Amaravati since his student days, he said, "Present-day Amaravati owes its existence to the resilience of the farmers of this region. The city survives on the back of the farmers' struggle, one of the longest in southern India."
Talking about attempts to "crush the farmers' struggle", Justice Ramana said, "Rarely the media or any politician ever spoken the truth or given real credit as to how the capital of Amaravati survived and sustained," he said.
Briefly touching on the "painful days of police action" against his family members, the former CJI said, "I was not alone. During that difficult period, all those who empathised with the cause of the farmers, faced intimidation and coercion." "Even members of the judiciary who upheld constitutional principles faced transfers, pressure, and at times, persecution. Families of judges, who had no role, suffered collateral damage because of political machinations," he said.
In these testing times, many political leaders hesitated to take a stand and preferred silence, he said. "It was the jurists, lawyers and the courts which stood by their constitutional promise," he said. "While govts may change, the courts and the rule of law remain as the anchor of stability. The rule of law survives only when people, in whom the public repose trust, decline to surrender their integrity for convenience," he said.
"In the coming times, the role of farmers, lawyers, jurists, members of civil society and judges will have to remain the enduring source of inspiration with their integrity and commitment to rule of law," he said.
"All of you present here know how my family was targeted and criminal cases were filed against them. All this was done only to coerce me," he said while addressing students at the convocation ceremony of VIT-AP at Amaravati.
The Jagan Reddy government diluted the previous N Chandrababu Naidu government's Amaravati capital project by announcing the trifurcation of the capital, which was opposed by farmers whose land had already been acquired.
The farmers agitated for five years from 2019 till 2024 and the trifurcation idea was dropped after the Chandrababu Naidu government returned to office last year.
Justice Ramana slams attempts to crush farmers’ movement
Recalling his deep association with Amaravati since his student days, he said, "Present-day Amaravati owes its existence to the resilience of the farmers of this region. The city survives on the back of the farmers' struggle, one of the longest in southern India."
Talking about attempts to "crush the farmers' struggle", Justice Ramana said, "Rarely the media or any politician ever spoken the truth or given real credit as to how the capital of Amaravati survived and sustained," he said.
Briefly touching on the "painful days of police action" against his family members, the former CJI said, "I was not alone. During that difficult period, all those who empathised with the cause of the farmers, faced intimidation and coercion." "Even members of the judiciary who upheld constitutional principles faced transfers, pressure, and at times, persecution. Families of judges, who had no role, suffered collateral damage because of political machinations," he said.
In these testing times, many political leaders hesitated to take a stand and preferred silence, he said. "It was the jurists, lawyers and the courts which stood by their constitutional promise," he said. "While govts may change, the courts and the rule of law remain as the anchor of stability. The rule of law survives only when people, in whom the public repose trust, decline to surrender their integrity for convenience," he said.
"In the coming times, the role of farmers, lawyers, jurists, members of civil society and judges will have to remain the enduring source of inspiration with their integrity and commitment to rule of law," he said.
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