Pilot Rohith Reddy moves Telangana HC for anticipatory bail in Tandur municipal poll booth incident
The police contingent on duty comprised the Station House Officer, two Sub Inspectors, six Head Constables, nine Police Constables, two Women Police Constables, and one Home Guard.
By Newsmeter Network
Hyderabad: Former Tandur Assembly Constituency legislator Pilot Rohith Reddy of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi party and nine co-accused filed a criminal petition on Monday seeking anticipatory bail in connection with a case registered at Tandur Town Police Station, Vikarabad.
The petitioners stand accused of unlawful assembly and forcible entry into counting booths during the recently concluded Tandur Municipal Elections.
What is the case about?
According to the prosecution's case, the petitioner and nine others forcibly entered the counting booth at Tandur Assembly Constituency on February 13 in defiance of clear directions issued by the Election Commission and local police authorities prohibiting unauthorised entry.
The petitioner, accompanied by approximately 30 supporters, allegedly barged into the restricted premises and engaged in heated exchanges with police personnel deployed for bandobust duty during the counting process.
The police contingent on duty comprised the Station House Officer, two Sub Inspectors, six Head Constables, nine Police Constables, two Women Police Constables, and one Home Guard.
The petitioners submit that their application for anticipatory bail rests on allegations of discriminatory treatment by the deployed police force. They contend that the police party permitted the sitting Member of the Legislative Assembly representing Tandur Assembly Constituency and his followers to enter the counting booth before the removal of ballot boxes, notwithstanding stringent Election Commission orders barring such access.
Accusations of political rivalry and personal vendetta
The petitioners assert that while police personnel allowed the incumbent legislator and his supporters entry without objection, they were forcibly ejected when they attempted to enter the same premises under identical circumstances.
Counsel for the petitioners argued that the registration of the case is actuated by malafide intention stemming from political rivalry and personal vendetta. The petitioners further contend that the penal provisions invoked against them, including Section 132 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita pertaining to assault or criminal force, Section 223 relating to disobedience to orders, and Section 126 concerning wrongful restraint, are not attracted to the facts of the case and have been inappropriately applied.
The petition seeks a direction to the Station House Officer of Tandur Town Police Station, Vikarabad, to release the petitioners on bail should they be arrested in connection with the aforesaid crime. The matter is pending adjudication before the court.
