VIJAYAWADA: The Andhra Pradesh High Court has directed senior IPS officer and former Intelligence chief PSR Anjaneyulu to cooperate with the ongoing investigation in a case alleging custodial torture of Assembly Deputy Speaker K Raghu Ramakrishna Raju.
Justice Venkata Jyotirmayi Pratapa issued the order on Friday while disposing of Anjaneyulu’s anticipatory bail petition. The court directed the officer to appear before the investigating officer whenever required and assist in the probe.
Also, the court instructed the investigating authorities not to take any coercive action against the petitioner during the course of questioning.
The court noted that the investigation may require a joint examination of Anjaneyulu along with Bihar cadre IPS officer M Sunil Kumar Naik, who is the seventh accused in the case and served earlier as Deputy Inspector General in the CID during the previous YSRC regime.
The case stems from a complaint filed by Raghu Rama Krishnam Raju with the Guntur Nagarampalem police alleging that he was subjected to custodial torture while in CID custody. He claimed that officials, including those heading the intelligence wing at the time, were involved in the incident.
During the hearing, senior counsel Posani Venkateswarlu, representing the police, submitted that Sunil Kumar Naik had been exempted from appearing before the investigating officer until March 22 and was directed to appear again on March 23. He argued that Naik needs to be questioned regarding the alleged role of Anjaneyulu in the custodial torture case.
Counsel for Anjaneyulu submitted that the officer was already on medical bail in another case related to the APPSC Group-1 answer sheet evaluation.