Special judge who quit after acquitting Aseemanand resumes duty

Special judge for NIA cases Ravinder Reddy, who had resigned after acquitting right-wing activist Swami Aseemanand and five others in the Mecca Masjid blast case on Monday, resumed duty today.

Barely hours after the judgement on April 16, Reddy had tendered his resignation.

Reddy, the Fourth Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge, had put in his papers to the Metropolitan Sessions Judge citing "personal reasons" for his decision and also applied for leave.

"His application for resignation is still pending. He has joined duty and is attending the bench," a source in the judiciary told PTI on condition of anonymity.

It was still not clear whether his resignation has been accepted by the high court, but the judge joined duty today as his leave was "cancelled", they said while refusing to comment further on the matter.

Reddy, was among the 11 subordinate court judges who were suspended by the Hyderabad High Court in June 2016.

This was for protesting appointment of the judges who hail from Andhra Pradesh to the courts in Telangana and over the demand for setting up a separate high court for Telangana.

The suspension was, however, revoked in the subsequent month.

Amid speculation over the timing of Reddy's resignation, a senior judicial officer had earlier said his resignation had "nothing" to do with the judgement in the Mecca Masjid blast case.

In the wake of verdict in the case, police had enhanced security arrangements at the judge's residence.