HYDERABAD: A division bench of the Hyderabad High Court on Thursday extended the house arrest of P Varavara Rao, revolutionary writer and activist, by three weeks. However, the bench granted liberty to him to avail alternative legal remedies seeking bail or to quash the case registered against him by approaching the courts.
The bench comprising Justice CV Nagarjuna Reddy and Justice T Amarnath Goud was passing the above order in the petition filed by Varavara Rao challenging the validity of transit remand order and his arrest by the police in August this year. He also pleaded to set him at liberty from the alleged illegal custody by Maharashtra police.
Pursuant to order of the Supreme Court in August this year, Rao was placed under house arrest in connection with the case relating to violent clashes that took place at Bhima Koregaon in Maharashtra in January this year. Petitioner’s counsel D Suresh Kumar told the court that ‘the period of house arrest of the petitioner came to an end on October 26’.
Besides, he urged the court to suspend the arrest and the orders of the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, Hyderabad in passing the transit remand order on August 28. He alleged that the Maharashtra police took the petitioner into custody without following due procedure of law and with the help of Telangana police have conducted searches and seizures in the detenu’s house. The transit remand warrant was issued base on the papers which were in Marathi language submitted by Maharashtra police, he pointed out.
On the other hand, government counsel Santhosh Kumar argued that the petition by Varavara Rao was not maintainable. In fact, the Maharashtra police who obtained orders from the CMM Court, have produced the petitioner before the Pune special court. At present, there was no use of challenging the order of the CMM Court, he added.
After hearing both sides, the bench extended the house arrest by another three weeks. While closing the case, the bench also suggested him to implead in the case relating to Goutham Navlakha before the Apex Court.
Virasam wants all cases against Rao withdrawn
Warangal: Civil society organisations have demanded withdrawal of all cases filed against revolutionary writer and activist Varavara Rao and free him from house arrest. Speaking to media on Thursday, Viplava Rachayitala Sangahm (Revolutionary Writer’s Association) member Basit a stated that to silence the voices of people fighting for the cause of downtrodden the Centre had falsely implicated him in cases.