Telangana High Court Protects Harish Rao from Arrest but Allows Investigation
The Telangana High Court, led by Justice Kunuru Lakshman, has heard a criminal petition filed by former minister and Siddipet MLA Harish Rao of the BRS party. On Thursday, the court directed the Panjagutta Police not to arrest Harish Rao while permitting the investigation to proceed. The court also issued a notice to Gadhagoni Chakradhar Goud, the complainant, asking him to respond to the notices.
Senior Counsel Siddharth Luthra, representing the State Government, informed the court that Goud had initially complained to the Hyderabad Police Commissioner on November 23, 2024, alleging that his phone and his family members’ phones were tapped. This was followed by a second complaint filed on December 1, 2024, at the Panjagutta Police Station.
Luthra argued that the complaint pertains to serious allegations of phone tapping, which violate privacy, a fundamental right. He stated that Harish Rao’s only legal remedy in this case is to seek anticipatory bail and opposed any protection from arrest. He emphasized that the complainant had received an email from Apple confirming the phone tapping.
Justice Kunuru Lakshman noted that he had recently granted protection to a petitioner in a similar case but allowed the investigation to continue. Following the same approach, he granted protection to Harish Rao from arrest while directing the police to carry on with the investigation.
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HC Orders Police to Hand Over Naxal's Body to Family
In a separate case, Justice Bollam Vijaysen Reddy of the Telangana High Court directed the SHO of Eturunagaram to hand over the last remaining body of a deceased naxal, Malliah, to his family. Malliah was one of seven naxals killed in an encounter. The petitioner, Illamma, was instructed to collect her husband’s body by noon on Friday in the presence of her legal counsel and two others.
The Judge also directed the police to forward all videos, photographs, and other materials related to the post-mortem and the encounter to the investigating officer, V. Ravinder Reddy, for further investigation. The GP for Home, Mahesh Raje, had opposed preserving the body, citing decomposition concerns. He requested that the body be handed over to avoid further decay.
Justice Reddy acknowledged that the post-mortem was conducted by forensic experts and stated that the ongoing investigation would clarify any concerns raised by the petitioner. The case was adjourned to December 26 for further proceedings.
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Task Force Committees to Prevent Food Poisoning in Schools
The Telangana High Court, led by Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice J. Sreenivas Rao, addressed a plea regarding food safety in government schools. The plea, filed by Keethineedi Akhil Sri Guru Teja, sought the proper implementation of the mid-day meal program (PM Poshan) and the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme as per prescribed menus.
The petitioner highlighted several alarming incidents at Maganoor Zilla Parishad High School in Narayanpet district. On November 20, 2024, 50 students fell ill after consuming boiled eggs and other food. Just a day later, worms were found in the mid-day meals, and on November 26, another 28 students fell sick after eating stale food.
The Chief Justice criticized officials for their inaction and demanded a report on the issue. In response, Additional Advocate General (Addl. AG) Imran Khan informed the court that the state government had formed Task Force Committees to prevent such incidents. Additionally, the school’s headmaster was suspended, and the food contractor’s contract was terminated.
The Chief Justice adjourned the case by six weeks, directing the state government to file a detailed status report about the Task Force Committees, their members, and their actions to prevent food poisoning in schools.
