The final day of the two-day conference Law and Ordere, at Jubilee Hall, Thursday, ended with a sour note as most ministers present in the first three sessions were asked to leave the room by none other than the Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy. But seniors maintained that the act of the CM was customary.

Shortly before the lunch break, Revenue Minister N. Raghuveera Reddy, at the instance of the Chief Minister, announced in the conference that only the Home Minister among the Ministers would attend the law and order session. Some Ministers made no secret of their perceived insult, to the waiting media, while trotting out of the room. A very senior Minister remarked “such a thing never happened in the past”. Another Minister called the session “a waste”, and yet a third commented “it is like a Cabinet (closed-door) meeting”.

However Mr. Raghuveera Reddy and Ms. Sabitha Reddy, briefed reporters later, said the Chief Minister's action was very much in line with conventions. The former said he had attended seven Collectors' conferences and never did Ministers attend the law and order sessions. This view was supported by four other Ministers -- D.K. Aruna, Galla Aruna, V. Sunitha Laxma Reddy and J. Geeta Reddy.