HYDERABAD: Justice K Lakshman of the Telangana High Court on Wednesday raised serious questions about the legality and procedure followed in the arrest of former MLA Patnam Narender Reddy.
Hearing a bail petition filed by the former MLA, Justice Lakshman expressed concern over discrepancies in the account of the arrest, which has been a point of contention between his counsel and the prosecution.
Senior counsel Gandra Mohan Rao, representing Narender Reddy, told the court that his client was arrested while on a morning walk at KBR Park. However, Public Prosecutor Palle Nageshwar Rao countered this claim, asserting that the arrest was made at Narender Reddy’s residence.
The court questioned why Narender Reddy’s family was not informed about his arrest if it took place at his home, as required by law. Instead, the police informed one Saleem, a close associate of the former MLA. The judge remarked that such actions violated established arrest procedures and observed, “The arrest of the petitioner was conducted as if he is a terrorist.”
The arrest followed accusations that Narender Reddy conspired to instigate farmers and others to oppose a government land acquisition policy, particularly in connection with the Lagcherla incident. However, the judge expressed scepticism about the prosecution’s claims, questioning whether the allegations of “conspiracy” were substantiated.
The judge noted that call data records showed Narender Reddy had made only one or two calls per day to farmers or associates in the 10-15 days preceding the incident, which was insufficient to establish a conspiracy.
Another point of contention was the medical report of injuries sustained by government officials during the Lagcherla incident. The judge highlighted that the report, issued by a NIMS doctor, showed no evidence of grievous injuries. Furthermore, the presence of question marks in the report raised doubts about its authenticity and reliability.
The court directed the public prosecutor to furnish statements from the co-accused, including Lakshmiah and two others, whose testimonies led to Narender Reddy’s inclusion in a remand report dated November 13, 2024. The matter was adjourned to Thursday for further hearing.
NARENDER REDDY’S WIFE MOVES COURT FOR ‘CONTEMPT’
Patnam Shruti, wife of former MLA Patnam Narender Reddy, filed a contempt petition in the Telangana High Court on Wednesday, accusing senior police officers of illegal arrest and non-compliance with the Supreme Court’s directives outlined in the landmark ‘DK Basu vs. State of West Bengal (1997)’ judgment.
The officers named in the petition include Multi Zone-II IGP V Satyanarayana; Vikarabad Superintendent of Police K Narayan Reddy, Bomraspet Inspector Sridhar Reddy and Bomraspet Sub-Inspector Md Abdul Rauf. Shruti’s petition alleges that her husband was apprehended in broad daylight in an inhuman manner, with none of the mandatory safeguards outlined in Paragraph 35 of the DK Basu judgment being followed. The petition says that the arresting officers did not wear uniforms or carry visible identification as required, instead appearing in plain clothes.