Gudivada Amarnath Gets 6-Month Jail Term in 2016 Protest Case

A court in Visakhapatnam has sentenced YSR Congress Party senior leader and former minister Gudivada Amarnath to six months’ imprisonment and imposed a fine of ₹5,000 in connection with a protest held nearly a decade ago.

The verdict, delivered on Saturday, pertains to Amarnath’s indefinite hunger strike in 2016 demanding the establishment of a separate railway zone for North Andhra .

In 2016, Amarnath launched an indefinite fast near the Gandhi statue close to the GVMC office in Visakhapatnam , pressing for a railway zone headquartered in the city—a long-pending demand of the people of North Andhra.

As the protest continued, his health deteriorated , prompting police intervention. Citing concerns over public safety and the risk to his life, police treated the incident as an attempt to commit suicide and registered a case. Following a prolonged trial, the court has now delivered its judgment.

Reacting to the verdict, Amarnath told the media:

"This punishment has been given for my struggle for the interests of North Andhra and for achieving the railway zone. I respect the court’s judgment. However, I will appeal against it in the High Court. I am ready to go to jail for the people."

He also launched sharp criticism against the government led by Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu , alleging that governance in the state has become chaotic and directionless .

Amarnath further accused the state government of allocating valuable government lands to real estate firms from outside the state at throwaway prices . He alleged large-scale irregularities in such allocations and said his party has already filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the High Court .

He reiterated that the party strongly opposes the transfer of public assets for the benefit of a few real estate interests.