Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court instructed the state government to submit a status report within two weeks concerning the ongoing case against police officers accused of torturing Dalit and Backward Class youth from Nerella village in Sircilla district, an incident that dates back to July 2017.
This directive came during a hearing of two Public Interest Litigations (PILs) filed by Gaddam Laxman and retired High Court judge Justice B Chandra Kumar, who are seeking accountability for the officers involved and compensation of Rs 10 lakh for each of the eight victims who reportedly suffered severe injuries due to police brutality.
HC seeks details on investigation’s progress
The bench, led by Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice J Sreenivas Rao, raised critical inquiries regarding the investigation’s progress, specifically questioning whether a First Information Report (FIR) had been filed or if a chargesheet was prepared.
The assistant government pleader struggled to provide satisfactory answers and requested additional time to submit an affidavit from the advocate general.
Growing impatient with this delay, the bench demanded clarification from additional advocate general Imran Khan, who indicated that an FIR for the accused officers had indeed been registered, prompting his request to close the case on that basis. However, the court insisted on understanding the investigation’s status further.
During proceedings, the petitioner’s counsel D Suresh Kumar sought to include the victims in the PIL, emphasizing their right to testify about their experiences.
The bench proposed that the victims file a separate writ petition instead. Counsel for the PIL highlighted that numerous accidents had occurred due to sand lorries operating in the area, which had led to unrest among local residents.
The situation escalated following a fatal incident on July 4, 2017, when a sand lorry struck Erukula Bhumayya from Nerella, resulting in his death and subsequent protests by local youth who burned several lorries in response.
13 youths arrested, tortured
The police had arrested 13 youths from Nerella and nearby areas, allegedly subjecting them to torture before hastily sending them to jail.
At that time, the High Court questioned how severely injured individuals were allowed into custody as remand prisoners and sought explanations from prison authorities regarding this matter.
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