Karimnagar Police’s attempt to target BRS leaders exposed by court

There are also allegations that the police, without proper investigation, immediately went for an arrest, with the court action now exposing the political motives behind the entire episode

Hyderabad: An apparent attempt by the Karimnagar police, allegedly at the behest of Congress leaders from the district, to target BRS leaders came to light on Wednesday when the court questioned the arrest of three BRS leaders, pointing out the invalid sections charged against them and ordering their release.

The embarrassing episode for the police came after the arrest of three persons, E Ashok, K Srinivas and T Balaiah in connection with a civil dispute case. The three, whose wives are BRS corporators in the Karimnagar Municipal Corporation, were later produced before the First Class Judicial Magistrate in Karimnagar. The court, which found that the case was still pending in a civil court, is learned to have first questioned how the police could register a case on the same issue when the civil court was still dealing with the case, and also pointed out that the sections under which the three were charged were not applicable.

The court, ordering the police to release the three BRS leaders, also asked the police to follow procedure and to issue notices to them under Section 41 A of the CrPC. With the police action triggering suspicions of the arrests being politically motivated, it was also pointed out to the court that the recently constituted economic offences wing in the Karimnagar police was targeting only BRS leaders.

The BRS leaders were first arraigned as accused following a complaint by one Mamidi Ravinder Reddy on different charges of demanding money to allow construction of houses in Teegalaguttapally and also of demolishing compound walls and threatening plot owners. Even as these cases were pending in court, another complaint was lodged against Ashok. However, the police is said to have arrested all three BRS leaders though two of them were not named in the complaint.

There are also allegations that the police, without proper investigation, immediately went for an arrest, with the court action now exposing the political motives behind the entire episode.