No coercive steps against accused in Janwada house case: Justice B. Vijaysen Reddy to police

Justice B. Vijaysen Reddy of Telangana High Court on Monday directed the Mokila police of Cyberabad not to take any coercive steps against P. Rajendra Prasad, brother-in-law of BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao, against whom a criminal case was registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Pyschotropic Substances Act following a raid on his ‘Janwada house’ on Saturday night.

The interim direction was passed after hearing a writ petition filed by Mr. Prasad seeking different reliefs, including not to arrest him by interfering with his personal life and liberty. The petitioner moved a lunch motion which was heard by the judge during post lunch session. He wanted the police to adhere to the law while investigating the criminal case and a notice under section 35 of BNSS issued to him.

Mr. Prasad, arrayed as the first accused in the case along with another person Madduri Vijay as the second accused, requested the court to stall all further proceedings in the case. Police had also invoked sections 3 and 4 of the Telangana Gaming Act-1974 against the two accused. He requested the judge to instruct the police to inform him 48 hours in advance if they wanted to question him.

The petitioner also requested the bench to direct the police to interrogate him in the presence of his advocate ‘at a visible but beyond hearing distance’. Mr. Prasad said in his affidavit that Mr. K.T. Rama Rao and his family members were being vilified in targeted fashion by leaders of the ‘incumbent government’. Without specifically naming, the petitioner said that ‘a Cabinet Minister’ recently made derogatory comments on KTR.

Another Cabinet Minister recently stated that political bombs would explode before Diwali and that several bigwigs of BRS party would be arrested soon.

According to the petitioner, batteries of police personnel accompanied by Excise department officials barged into his ‘Janwada house’ and falsely registered a case under the NDPS Act alleging that one of the persons present there, Vijay, tested positive for cocaine consumption.

Additional Advocate General Mohammed Imran Khan told the court that the investigation was continuing in the case in compliance with the law. ‘We don’t have any intention to harass or arrest the petitioner”, he said. The AAG said it was not fair to describe the case as a politically motivated case. The police acted as per the inputs they had received, he said.

Published - October 28, 2024 09:14 pm IST