HYDERABAD: Justice Moushumi Bhattacharya of the Telangana High Court has directed BJP MP M Raghunandan Rao to submit a detailed memo outlining the status of all pending criminal proceedings against him.
The judge was hearing a petition filed by Raghunandan Rao against the Regional Passport Officer (RPO), Hyderabad, for denying him passport renewal services.
The petition urged the court to declare the actions of the RPO as arbitrary, illegal and violative of Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution, as well as the provisions of the Passports Act, 1967, and the Passport Rules, 1980.
In his plea, Raghunandan Rao sought a direction from the court to compel the respondents to immediately reissue or renew his passport in the interest of justice.
After hearing the petitioner’s contentions, the court noted the numerous criminal cases pending against the MP and highlighted discrepancies in his statements made before the Election Commission and the passport authorities on June 14, 2024.
In light of these considerations, the judge directed him to file a memo on the next hearing date, providing the status of the criminal proceedings pending against him.
The court scheduled the next hearing for January 7, 2025.