HYDERABAD: A bench of the Telangana High Court, comprising Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice T Vinod Kumar, on Tuesday, directed the Police department to submit CCTV footage from the location where V Lakshmi, a tribal woman, was taken into custody by the LB Nagar police on August 15 and from the site where she was allegedly subjected to physical assault by the cops.
The bench was hearing a suo motu Public Interest Litigation (PIL) by converting a letter penned by Justice Surepally Nanda, a sitting judge of the high court, into a PIL. In her letter to the chief justice dated August 20, 2023, Justice Nanda had attached newspaper clips detailing the incident which left Lakshmi severely injured. The victim is currently undergoing treatment at Jeevan Hospital in Karmanghat.
Officers must be booked under SC/ST Act: Letter
In her letter, Justice Nanda denounced the use of excessive force, expressing concern that the tribal woman had been subjected to such brutality. The judge stressed that the police must adhere to due legal procedures, and the incident should be thoroughly investigated.
Justice Nanda not only called for action against the police officers involved in the assault but also requested that cases be registered against them under the provisions of the SC/STs (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.
Taking up the PIL suo motu, the court named the chief secretary, principal secretary, home department, the DGP, the Rachakonda police commissioner, Rachakonda DCP, LB Nagar ACP and SHO as respondents.
After issuing notices to the respondents, the bench scheduled the next hearing in two weeks.