Sheelam Rangaiah custodial death case: Ensure petitioner is not harassed, T HC asks DGP
By Newsmeter Network Published on 11 Sep 2020 3:44 AM GMT
Hyderabad: Taking a serious note of alleged harassment to the petitioners in the custodial death case, Telangana High Court directed the Director-General of Police (DGP) to ensure that neither advocate PV Nagamani nor her husband advocate G Vaman Rao are threatened by officers or summoned to any police station.
Nagamani has filed a PIL seeking a judicial probe into the alleged custodial death of Sheelam Rangaiah.
“A copy of this order shall be immediately sent to the DGP Telangana by the Registrar General of this court for his information,” the court said.
The court directed the petitioner to submit affidavits separately about the allegations that they proposed to make against the police department. “Such affidavits shall be accompanied by any documentary evidence to substantiate their allegations,” the court said.
The court was hearing a PIL seeking a judicial probe into the alleged custodial death of Rangaiah and action against the Circle Inspector and Sub-Inspector of Manthani police station.
The petitioner alleged that on May 26, Sheelam Rangaiah was brought to the Manthani police station and kept in custody for four days. During this period, he was allegedly subjected to custodial torture. Subsequently, unable to bear the atrocities, Rangaiah allegedly died in the lock-up.
Later the court directed Anjani Kumar, Commissioner of Police, Hyderabad, to investigate the case and submit a report. Consequently, the report was submitted in June 2020. Though the report was confidential, the court permitted Nagamani to take the notes if necessary for filing a counter.
Nagamani informed the court that ever since the permission to file the counter was granted, both she, and her husband are constantly being harassed by the police at Manthani.
She also informed the court that her husband is being falsely implicated in two FIRs at Basanth Nagar, Ramagundam Commissionerate. Moreover, the petitioner is being threatened over the phone that she and her children's life will be in danger in case she files the counter.
She alleged that the concerned Circle Inspector has threatened to commit suicide in case she does not withdraw the case.
Later, she sought police protection and stringent action against the police officials.
