Supreme Court wants to know Andhra Pradesh’s secret input

Short of suggesting the administration to overcome its Maoist phobia, the Supreme Court (SC) wanted to examine on Tuesday the “secret intelligence inputs” based on which the Andhra government has been defending deployment of paramilitary on Osmania University campus.

The government apprehends the presence of Maoists on the campus, which is said to be the nerve centre of the pro-Telangana struggle, and is resisting removal of armed forces despite the high court’s directive to the effect.

It would be understandable to send the Rapid Action Force inside the campus to deal with “anti-social elements”, the court remarked, but the presence of the force on the basis of “secret inputs” is an altogether different issue.

“We want to know what this secret input is,” justices GS Singhvi and Asok Kumar Ganguly said, directing state counsel Harish Salve to submit the information on Wednesday.

Salve justified forces, saying intelligence inputs suggested Maoists had infiltrated the campus to instigate violence on the Telangana issue.

“Where is the input of the infiltration? What is the proof available? We would like to have it,” the judges asserted, but extended the stay on removal of forces from the campus till February 25.