VIJAYAWADA: A habeas corpus petition was filed in the High Court on Saturday alleging that YouTuber Bachalluri Joseph, known as Prashna Ravan, has been illegally detained by the police in connection with multiple cases registered against him for allegedly making remarks that promoted religious hatred and for allegedly insulting Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan.
The petition was filed by Christian Joint Action Committee representative Archbishop Ashok Babu Chegudi alias Joshua Daniel and journalist Mekala Bhanumurthy. The petitioners sought directions from the HC to produce Ravan before a competent court and declare his detention and successive arrests as illegal and unconstitutional.
They requested the HC to order that FIRs registered across the State in Ravan’s speech delivered at a public meeting held in Eluru on June 28 be treated as a single FIR. The petitioners sought quashing of Section 111 relating to organised crime, which was invoked by police in a case registered at Pithapuram town police station.
The petition sought protection for Ravan from what it described as arbitrary arrests and requested the HC to direct police to arrest certain individuals, including Radha Manohar Das, Karunakar Suguna, Lalitha Kumar and Gopi of Sanatana Sena, alleging that they had delivered hate speeches.
The petition alleged that JSP activists lodged complaints against Ravan out of political vendetta, contending that his June 28 speech only referred to public statements by Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan and Deputy Speaker Raghurama Krishna Raju.
The petitioners sought a CBI or judicial probe, an independent medical examination, and security for Ravan, his family and legal team.