Telangana HC quashes SC/ST case against CM Revanth Reddy
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Hyderabad: In a major relief for Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, the Telangana High Court on Thursday quashed a case registered against him under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
The case, originally registered in 2019, accused Revanth Reddy, his brother A. Kondal Reddy, and another individual of allegedly abusing N. Peddi Raju—Director of Razole Constituency SC Mutually Aided Cooperative Housing Society Limited—using casteist slurs.
Justice Moushumi Bhattacharya, who had earlier reserved orders on the plea on June 20, delivered the verdict quashing the FIR, citing lack of evidence. The court observed that the prosecution failed to produce any material linking the Chief Minister or the co-accused to the scene of the alleged offence. The judge emphasised that mere allegations cannot result in conviction without substantive proof of the accused’s presence at the site.
The FIR was linked to a land dispute involving 31 acres in Survey No. 127 of Gopanpally village. The complainant had alleged that Revanth Reddy’s brothers—Kondal Reddy and E. Lakshmaiah—had encroached on the land with Revanth’s backing, during his tenure as a Member of Parliament. The complaint further stated that caste-based insults were hurled at the complainant and that structures at the site were demolished using a JCB machine.
Based on this complaint, a case was initially filed in 2016 at the Gachibowli Police Station under Cyberabad Commissionerate. Revanth Reddy was named as Accused No. 3 in the FIR. The case included charges under Indian Penal Code sections 447 (criminal trespass), 427 (mischief), 506 (criminal intimidation), 198, 120-B (criminal conspiracy), read with Section 34 (common intention). It also invoked sections (3)(1)(f), (g), (r), (s), and (va) of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 2016.
The matter had been pending trial before the Special Sessions Judge for SC/ST Atrocities Cases, who also serves as the VII Additional District and Sessions Judge of Rangareddy district.
In 2020, Revanth Reddy approached the High Court, seeking to have the FIR and subsequent legal proceedings quashed. He argued that the case was politically motivated and lacked substantive merit.
During the hearing, Public Prosecutor Palle Nageshwar Rao, representing the state, informed the court that eight witnesses were examined by the investigating officer. However, none of them confirmed the presence of Revanth Reddy at the location of the incident.
With the absence of incriminating evidence, the High Court allowed the petition and quashed the FIR.
With IANS inputs
