AP HC sentences jail term for ASP who misled it

Vijayawada: The Andhra Pradesh High Court has sentenced additional superintendent of police (Special Enforcement Bureau) K Srinivas Rao working at Srikakulam, to simple imprisonment for four weeks and a fine of Rs 1,000 in a contempt of court case on Friday.

A single judge bench headed by Justice Battu Devanand expressed anger on ASP Rao over his failure to implement a court order at an appropriate time and for misleading the court to close the contempt of court petition.

The court sentenced the ASP to four weeks simple imprisonment and slapped a fine of Rs 1,000. In case he failed to pay the fine, he should undergo the jail term for one more week.

When government pleader from home department Maheswara Reddy appearing for the ASP, tendered apology and sought closure of the hearing, the court said it could not grant this plea, given the gravity of the offence.

However, when the GP pleaded for suspension of implementation of the sentence for a week, the court agreed for this.

Lecturer Jhansi Lakshmi filed a complaint at Krishna Lanka police station in Vijayawada on two lecturers Ramadevi and Koteswara Rao and the police booked a case under relevant IPC sections, and also under SC, ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, in 2015. However, Lakshmi filed a petition in HC in October, 2016 stating that the police failed to complete the inquiry in the case.

The court directed the then Vijayawada South ACP Srinivas Rao to complete the inquiry and file a final report at the court on October 26, 2016.

Lakshmi filed the contempt of court petition in the HC again in July, 2017 stating that the ACP failed to comply with court orders.

ACP’s counsel submitted to the court on September 13, 2017, that the case was closed with no evidence and filed a report at the concerned court. The court closed the case.

However, Lakshmi approached the Vijayawada second additional chief metropolitan magistrate court seeking the final report filed by the ACP and the court informed her that no such report was filed.

She filed another contempt of court case in the high court in January, 2018 on the ACP stating that he mislead the court.

During the hearing, the ACP filed an affidavit stating that he filed the final report on March 14, 2018 against his earlier submission of filing it on September 13, 2017. The court found fault with him and awarded the sentence.