VIJAYAWADA: The Andhra Pradesh High Court on Monday directed the police not to arrest TDP senior leader Ch Ayyanna Patrudu till Wednesday in connection with a case booked against him under the SC/ST Atrocities Prevention Act.
It issued interim orders to this effect on a petition filed by the TDP leader seeking anticipatory bail.
Justice T Rajani, who heard the petition, granted him interim relief and deferred hearing till Wednesday. Submitting his arguments, Ayyanna Patrudu’s lawyer O Manohar Reddy alleged that his client was unfairly targeted and a case was booked against him illegally.
The police had booked the case against the TDP leader for allegedly abusing Narsipatnam municipal commissioner Krishnaveni.
They also booked a case under the Nirbhaya Act against him. The TDP leader had allegedly abused her for removing the photograph of his grandfather from the office of the commissioner.
Manohar Reddy submitted that the case was registered based on a social media post of someone. He said Nirbhaya Act could not be invoked in the case either as the commissioner did not see the TDP leader abusing her.
Refuting his arguments, public prosecutor Srinivas Reddy informed the court that the TDP leader showed scant respect for the commissioner and threatened to disrobe her.
He argued that Nirbhaya Act could be invoked and there were precedents too. He said details of similar cases would be submitted to court if hearing was deferred till Wednesday.
After hearing arguments of both the sides, the court gave interim relief to the TDP leader and deferred hearing till Wednesday.
Yanamala & co too get relief
The High Court on Monday gave relief from arrest till Wednesday for TDP leaders Yanamala Ramakrishnudu, Nimmakayala Chinarajappa, former MLA P Ananta Lakshmi and her husband Satyanarayana Murthy. Justice U Durgaprasad Rao issued interim orders to this effect.
The Tondangi police in West Godavari district had filed a case against him following a complaint from one Pilli Manju Priya. In her complaint, she said she was married to Radha Krishna, son of Ananta Lakshmi, but her in-laws and the TDP leaders named above had tried to get her husband married a second time.
The complainant alleged that they did so only because she was a Dalit