The Telangana High Court on Tuesday reserved orders on the State Government’s plea seeking modification of directions issued over the alleged manhandling and obstruction of BRS legislators outside the Assembly. The Court questioned police authority to prevent elected MLAs from entering
Published Date – 8 September 2026, 10:40 PM
By Legal Correspondent
Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court on Tuesday reserved orders on a modification petition filed by the State Government seeking changes to the directions issued by the Court a day earlier in connection with the alleged manhandling and obstruction of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) legislators outside the Telangana Legislative Assembly.
The State Government sought modification of the directions issued by Justice T Madhavi Devi on Monday, particularly the direction requiring the Director General of Police (DGP) to identify the police personnel responsible for allegedly obstructing BRS MLAs and take action against them.
Advocate General A Sudarshan Reddy, appearing for the State Government, submitted that the BRS legislators had staged a sit-in protest in front of the Assembly and subsequently attempted to enter the Assembly premises wearing T-shirts carrying slogans and holding placards with protest messages. According to the Advocate General, the police had intervened only in the interest of maintaining law and order. He contended that the legislators had violated the Rules governing their conduct and had also breached the prohibitory orders in force at the time.
The Advocate General further alleged that some of the legislators had verbally abused women police personnel deployed at the spot. It was also alleged that certain MLAs had pushed police officers and made inappropriate remarks against them. The submissions prompted the Court to once again question the authority under which the police had prevented elected legislators from entering the Assembly premises. The Court asked, in substance, who had authorised the police to stop the MLAs from entering the Assembly.
Responding to the Court’s queries, the Advocate General submitted that the responsibility of ensuring the smooth conduct of proceedings of the House rested with the Speaker. He further stated that the Chief Marshals and the police had intercepted the legislators in accordance with the Speaker’s directions. The Advocate General also submitted that the conduct of the BRS legislators, including their decision to wear black T-shirts, had created an atmosphere of fear among the general public.
Seeking modification of Monday’s order, the Advocate General requested the Court not to confine its directions only to action against police personnel. He contended that appropriate action should also be directed against those who had allegedly behaved aggressively towards police personnel. During the hearing, Justice Madhavi Devi questioned the manner in which certain women legislators were allegedly treated during the incident. The Court specifically questioned why there was alleged inappropriate behaviour towards women MLAs and referred to the allegation that a senior woman legislator had been pushed after a hand was placed around her neck.
The Advocate General, however, disputed the allegation and submitted that no such behaviour had taken place against any legislator. He suggested that the matter could be examined after Hyderabad Commissioner of Police V C Sajjanar filed his counter-affidavit. The Court also questioned whether the legislators had been informed in advance about the protocols or restrictions that the State now claimed had been violated.
Opposing the modification petition, Senior Counsel Gandra Mohan Rao, appearing for the BRS Legislature Party, reiterated that the police had no authority to prevent elected members from entering the Assembly premises. It was submitted that no official orders had been placed before the Court to show that the Speaker had authorised the Chief Marshals or the police to prevent the legislators from entering the Assembly.
The Senior Counsel contended that even assuming there had been a violation of the Rules governing the conduct of Assembly members, it was for the Speaker to take action and not for the police to interfere with the legislators’ entry into the House. He further pointed out that the petition filed on behalf of the State substantially reiterated the allegations contained in the FIR registered by the police in connection with the previous day’s incident.
It was argued that if the conduct of the MLAs was considered disruptive or a threat to law and order, they ought to have been taken before the Speaker. Instead, the BRS legislators were arrested and taken to Telangana Bhavan, the counsel submitted. The BRS Legislature Party maintained that no grounds had been made out for modifying the directions issued by the Court on Monday.
It may be recalled that the High Court, while hearing an urgent lunch-motion petition filed by the BRS Legislature Party on Monday, had come down heavily on the police over allegations that BRS legislators were prevented from entering the Assembly premises and were subjected to inappropriate treatment. The Court had directed the police not to stop BRS legislators from entering the Assembly and clarified that any violation of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business of the Legislative Assembly was a matter for the Speaker to deal with.
Justice Madhavi Devi had also directed the DGP to identify the police officials responsible for the alleged misconduct and take appropriate action, while observing that the incident could not simply be treated as something that had happened and been forgotten. Following the conclusion of arguments on the State Government’s modification petition on Tuesday, Justice T Madhavi Devi reserved orders.
