Telangana HC quashes two of 3 FIRs against BRS leader in Lagacharla case

Hyderabad (The Uttam Hindu): In some relief to former BRS MLA Patnam Narender Reddy, the Telangana High Court on Friday quashed two of the three FIRs registered against him in connection with the recent attack on the government officials in Vikarabad district. The court, which had reserved its orders on the petition by the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader’s wife on November 20, pronounced the same on Friday.

Mahender Reddy’s wife Shurthi questioned the registration of three First Information Reports (FIRs) in the same case. Justice K. Lakshman agreed with the arguments put forward by the former MLA’s counsel and quashed two FIRs. A local court in Kodangal in Vikarabad district on Thursday (November 28) extended the judicial remand of Narender Reddy till December 11, in connection with the attack on the Vikarabad collector and other revenue officers at Lagacharla.

The former MLA from Kodangal constituency is accused number one in the cases registered by the Vikarabad police in connection with the villagers attacking Vikarabad collector Prateek Jain on November 11 during a public hearing on land acquisition to set up an industrial park. The police have arrested 20 persons, including Narender Reddy. During the hearing, the court found fault with the police for the manner in which it arrested the former MLA.

Narender Reddy’s counsel told the court that the police arrested him like a terrorist when he was on a morning walk at KBR Park in Hyderabad. Bomraspet police station had registered a case against Narender Reddy for allegedly provoking farmers to violently resist land acquisition. Following separate complaints from the Mandal Revenue Officer (MRO) and Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), two more FIRs were registered.

Narender Reddy, currently lodged in Cherlapally prison, has filed another petition in the High Court, seeking direction not to arrest him in another case registered at Bomraspet Police Station. This case was registered on a complaint by a police constable stating that on October 25, the Congress president of Dudyal Mandal, Avuti Shekhar, was confined in a panchayat office by farmers. His car was also damaged by the villagers, who held him responsible for land acquisition. Vikarabad District Collector and some other officials were attacked by a mob at Lagacharla village during a public hearing on November 11.

The incident in Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy’s Assembly constituency Kodangal had triggered a political slugfest between the ruling Congress and the main opposition BRS with the former blaming BRS leaders for the violence. Police on November 13 arrested Narender Reddy in Hyderabad and the same day a court sent him to judicial custody for 14 days. The judicial remand has been further extended to December 11.