Telangana HC orders BRS MLA Padi Kaushik Reddy to face trial in criminal case

Hyderabad: On Monday, the Telangana High Court ordered BRS MLA Padi Kaushik Reddy from Huzurabad Assembly Constituency to face trial.

Further, the HC Single Bench, comprising Justice Kunuru Lakshman, dismissed the criminal petition filed by the petitioner Kaushik Reddy seeking to quash the FIR registered against him in Subedari PS.

Soon after the hearing, Padi Kaushik Reddy filed an anticipatory bail petition in the High Court, seeking a direction to the Subedari Police. He told the court that, being a local person, the question of absconding does not arise at all and that he will cooperate with the investigation.

During the hearing, the petitioner, through his counsel TV Ramana Rao, pleaded innocence in this case and contended that he was falsely implicated in this case due to political vengeance.

Links to an illegal quarrying business

Moreover, he contended that a false complaint was filed by Katta Uma Devi, wife of Manoj Reddy from Gundedu Village of Kamalapur Mandal of Hanamkonda District, who allegedly is into illegal quarrying business and this quarrying area falls under the area of the petitioner.

Additionally, when the villagers of this area approached MLA Padi Kaushik Reddy, he called Manoj Reddy and asked him to stop the illegal quarrying business as it has deprived the villagers of a clean environment and is hampering the health of the livestock.

Justice Lakshman dismissed the petition and directed the investigating officer to investigate the content of the applicant Katta Uma Devi, wife of Manoj Reddy, who is into alleged quarrying business. He ordered a probe into the allegations that Padi Kaushik Reddy had demanded ransom from the complainant’s husband. It was alleged that the MLA demanded Rs 25 lakh and Rs 50 lakh from Manoj Reddy for performing quarry operations in the area, which falls under the area of the petitioner.

In her complaint, she said that her husband came under a lot of stress after he was threatened by Kaushik Reddy, stating that he had to pay money to run a granite business in Huzurabad constituency.

Political ends

Kaushik Reddy told the court that the said case against him is intended to wreak political vengeance against him as he belongs to the opposition party BRS party.

Kaushik Reddy further states that there is a delay of three and a half days in filing the complaint in the Subedari PS and the statements of the witnesses also clearly spoke about the delay in registration of the crime from the date of the offence.

The anticipatory bail petition may come up before a Single Judge Bench soon.