Telangana HC stays arrest against BRS MLA Maganti Gopinath in criminal case

Hyderabad: On Friday, the Telangana High Court ordered the police not to arrest BRS MLA Maganti Gopinath until further orders in the criminal case registered against him in the Borabanda Police Station.

A Single Bench of Justice K Lakshman observed that the police had registered two FIRs against the petitioner wherein the allegations levelled are the same, the incident is one and the same. The police came under fire by the judge for the action. Two FIRs were registered by the police under sections 188, 171-C, r/w 171-4, 290 IPC for the same offence.

The petitioner Maganti Gopinath, MLA Jubilee Hills, Assembly Constituency has filed two criminal petitions seeking quash of further proceedings in two FIRs registered against him.

The judge observed that there cannot be two FIRs for the same offence and cited two judgments delivered by him and one among them is the judgment, delivered in the case of Teenmaar Mallanna case.

Case against Maganti Gopinath for breaking MCC

The judge stayed all further proceedings and directed the police not to arrest the petitioner till further orders. Moreover, the court directed the petitioner Maganti Gopinath, MLA to cooperate in the investigation.

The judge was adjudicating two criminal petitions filed by Maganti Gopinath, MLA Jubilee Hills, BRS party, seeking quashing of all further proceedings in two cases registered in PS Borabanda for violating the Model Code of Conduct, which was in vogue in view of the recently concluded Lok Sabha Elections, 2024.

Maganti Gopinath participated in the election campaign on May 9 for the BRS party candidate, contesting for the Lok Sabha Elections under the Secunderabad Parliamentary Constituency.

A bike rally was organised in the Borabanda area with 200 persons, which passed through the area, where a masjid existed and the bike rally and it disturbed the people, who were attending prayers in the masjid.

The counsel for the petitioner contended that though the petitioner got permission from the Asst. Returning Officer, Jubilee Hills Assembly Segment for the bike rally, the complainant in his complaint stated that the petitioner violated the MCC by holding the bike rally with more than the prescribed number of persons, permitted but by the Election Commission.

The case was adjourned till July 19.