Phone-tapping case: A-5 files criminal plea in HC seeking bail

Hyderabad: Retired DCP P Radha Kishan Rao, A-5 in the phone-tapping case, on Thursday filed a criminal petition seeking a direction to “enlarge him on bail” in crime no 243/2024 of PS Panjagutta for offences U/s. 409, 427, 201, 120-B r/w. 341 IPC, Section 3 of the PDPP Act, and Sections 65, 66, and 70 of the IT Act. The petition will come up for hearing before the High Court single judge on October 18.

Prior to the filing of the petition, Rao’s endeavour to get bail in the lower court was futile, as the first additional metropolitan sessions judge, Nampally, had dismissed his plea seeking bail on May 2, while hearing the Crl.MP.No. 1653/2024 on the ground that the offences committed by the petitioner, along with the other accused, are of a very rave nature. Being a senior police officer, there is every possibility of causing obstacles in the progress of the investigation. Hence, the court had dismissed the bail petition.

Amongst the six accused in the case, Mekala Tirupathanna is A-4, D Prabhakar Rao IPS (retd) A-1, Dugyala Praneeth Rao, DSP (A-2), Nayini Bhujanga Rao, Additional SP (A-3), Radha Krishan Rao (A-5) and Aruvela Shravan Kumar Rao (A-6), TV reporter.

Tirupathanna had also filed a criminal petition in the HC, seeking bail, but Justice Juvvadi Sridevi heard at length and dismissed the petition on the ground that the investigating team intends to file a supplementary chargesheet; the FSL has to submit a report. On these grounds, the judge dismissed the petition.

Radha Kishan Rao contended in the petitions that he is a senior citizen and was relieved from service on October 20, 2023; is a retired police officer who was arrested on alleged inadmissible confession statements of A-3 and A-4 while they were in police custody.

All witnesses cited in the chargesheet are police officers or public servants; the entire evidence is mostly scientific and documentary, which, in any manner, cannot be tampered with if the petitioner is enlarged on bail; in any circumstances, he will not abscond.

Writs filed challenging single judge order on Group-1 examination

On Thursday, two writs were filed in HC by the unsuccessful aspirants of Group-1 who failed to qualify in the preliminary exam, seeking a direction to set aside the order dated October 15 passed by the single bench comprising Justice Pulla Karthik. The judge had refused to cancel the Group-1 preliminary examination, which is challenged in the writs.

One writ appeal is filed by Satta Shekhar and two others; the other appeal is by Damodar Reddy and seven others. The writs will be heard by the division bench of Justices Abhinand Kumar Shavili and Laxmi Narayana Alishetty on October 18.

A few main grounds raised by the petitioners in the appeals are (a) the TGPSC has no power to cancel the notification dated April 26, 2022 and issue a fresh notification viz., February 19, 2024 to hold Group-1 Preliminary examination; such a cancellation can’t be done in a whimsical manner; the single judge failed to delete at least the wrong questions raised by the petitioner in the examination and confined the hearing to the wrong questions raised by the petitioners; cancellation of earlier notification for 503 vacancies issued in 2022 and issue of fresh notification in 2024 for 563 vacancies will lead to a situation where ineligible candidates became eligible in the notification; STs are extended 10% reservation in government Jobs, from the existing 6% reservation, thereby increasing the competition.

The writs will be heard by the division bench headed by Justice Shavili. If the appeals are not numbered, then counsels for petitioners will make a mention insisting upon the court to hear as the Group-1 Main exam will commence from October 21.