Hyderabad: The Supreme Court on Thursday allowed the criminal appeal filed by the former Majlis-e-Ittehadul-Muslimeen (MIM) corporator turned Congress leader Khaja Bilal Ahmed and quashed the proceedings of Police Commissioner Rachakonda detaining him under PD Act.
The bench comprising Justice Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud and Justice Hrishikesh Roy held that the detention order dated 25 October, 2018, has to be set aside on the grounds mentioned in the detention order. It also said that the manner in which the order of confirmation dated 28 December 2018 was presented before this court casts doubt on the existence of the order of confirmation in the first place.
The former corporator was released on bail in a murder case registered by the Abdullahpurmet police. The police should have filed a charge-sheet within ninety days of the arrest. But, the court noted, it was not done.
Bilal was arrested in 2018
In 2018 Khaja Bilal Ahmed was arrested by the Rachakonda Police in the murder case of a realtor. Later, the police claimed Ahmed is involved in the case as he had a criminal history. It said Ahmed was involved in as many as 14 criminal cases and detained him under the PD Act.
Ahmed was in detention between 25 October 2018 and 27 February 2019. The Division Bench of Telangana High Court in its judgment dated 13 June 2019 had dismissed a petition challenging the order of detention upon which Khaja Bilal Ahmed moved the Apex Court. Senior Lawer of Supreme Court Siddarth Luthra represented the matter for the former corporator.