Plea against FIR based on online fact-check admitted
Justice B Vijaysen Reddy of the Telangana High Court on Wednesday admitted a writ petition challenging the registration of a FIR under the Information Technology Act against M Vinod Kumar, the petitioner. The petition questions the authority of the police to register an FIR based on a complaint that itself was based on a fact-check conducted by Mohammed Zubair, co-founder of the Alt News portal.
The complaint, filed by MIM MLA Mohammed Majid Hussain, alleges that Vinod Kumar posted a morphed image on social media depicting a person urinating into a container filled with gulab jamun intended for human consumption. The MLA claimed that he filed the complaint at the behest of AIMIM supremo Asaduddin Owaisi. According to the complaint, the images were altered to disrupt communal harmony. Following this, the Cybercrime police registered a case based on the complaint.
Appearing for the petitioner, senior counsel L Ravichander argued that the registration of the FIR was legally flawed and contrary to established procedures, including the SOP and guidelines under the BNSS. After hearing the arguments, Justice Reddy ordered notices to be issued and scheduled the matter for further hearing.
Distribute marriage sop cheques in Siddipet: HC
The Telangana High Court on Wednesday directed the distribution of cheques to beneficiaries of the Kalyana Lakshmi and Shadi Mubarak schemes in Siddipet constituency before the expiry of the designated period. The court was hearing a petition filed by Siddipet MLA T Harish Rao alleging that the cheques had not been disbursed to eligible beneficiaries in various mandals of his constituency. Justice Kaza Sarath was informed that a total of 474 cheques were ready but remained undistributed due to an alleged directive from Minister Konda Surekha.
During the hearing, counsel appearing for the government argued that the petitioner’s claims were unfounded and that the cheques were valid until September 29. After considering the arguments from both sides, Justice Sarath ordered the tahsildars of the concerned mandals to distribute the checks promptly.
Tapgate: Bail petition of A-4 adjourned
Justice Juvvadi Sridevi of the Telangana High Court on Wednesday adjourned hearing on a bail petition filed by Additional DCP Mekala Tirupathanna and A-4 (Accused No. 4) in the phone tapping case (Crime No. 243 of 2024). During the hearing, the judge directed the public prosecutor to obtain instructions on the bail petition filed by Tirupathanna. Of the six individuals accused in this high-profile case N. Bhujanga Rao, also an Additional DCP and Accused No. 3, was earlier granted bail by a lower court on medical grounds. After hearing the arguments, the court adjourned the matter to a future date for further proceedings.