HYDERABAD: The Telangana High Court on Friday directed the police not to arrest BRS social media convener Manne Krishank in connection with a case registered against him at Saifabad police station. Justice T Madhavi Devi directed the police to issue a notice to Krishank under Section 35(3) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) and said he should cooperate with the investigation. The court was hearing a lunch motion petition filed by Krishank seeking protection from arrest.
Government Pleader (Home) Mahesh Raje informed the court that Krishank had already been arrested. However, senior counsel V Ramana Rao and Gandra Mohan Rao, appearing for the petitioner, disputed the submission and told the court that Krishank had not been arrested as of 4.20 pm on Friday and was present before the magistrate’s court.
Justice Madhavi Devi made it clear that Krishank should not be arrested. She observed that if it came to the court’s notice that the petitioner had been arrested and remanded, the government pleader would face serious difficulty in explaining the situation.
The court was also informed that all the offences alleged in the FIR against Krishank carried a punishment of less than three years. The case relates to a social media post uploaded by Krishank concerning an incident at Saifabad police station, where the PRO and personal assistant of BRS working president KT Rama Rao were questioned by the police.
The court directed the police to follow the procedure prescribed under Section 35(3) of the BNSS and permitted the investigation to continue, subject to Krishank cooperating with the investigating agency.
Earlier in the day, Nampally police arrested Krishank over a social media post in which he targeted an IPS officer in connection with an alleged attack on Rama Rao’s staff at Saifabad police station.
