Telangana: SP-rank officer to probe Naresh case

Hyderabad: Taking a serious note over the lack of progress in the investigation by the local police, the Hyderabad High Court on Thursday directed the TS DGP to entrust investigation into disappearance of Amboji Naresh and the suicide of Tummala Swati to a SP-rank officer.

The court wanted the police to trace the boy and produce him before it on June 1. In case if he fails to produce the boy before the court, the investigating officer must submit a report on the probe.

A vacation division bench comprising Justice P. Naveen Rao and Justice M.S.K. Jaiswal was dealing with a habeas corpus writ petition moved by Amboji Venkataiah, father of Naresh, seeking the court’s intervention in securing the safety of his son who had gone missing since May 2 from Bhongir.

Both Swati and Naresh, her husband, had reached Bhongir on that day. Swati was taken away by her father Tummala Srinivas Reddy while Naresh went missing.

Earlier, the bench, during an urgent hearing on May 15, directed the police to produce Swati before it on May 18. Within hours of that order, Swati had died and her family members claimed it was a suicide.

The bench raised the question as to how the girl, who had attempted suicide once, was left alone by her father resulting in her death.

It also asked special government pleader S. Sharat Kumar as to why the police was not questioning Swati’s father regarding the disappearance of Naresh or analysing the call data of the persons concerned.

The government pleader told the Court that the investigation was going on effectively and there was material to show for it. He said that since bring the facts in public domain may jeopardise the investigation, he was refraining from doing so.

Mr Sharat Kumar said that the dowry case registered against Naresh’s parents was a routine one as it needed to be applied in case a woman dies within seven years of her marriage.

N.S. Arjun Kumar, counsel for the petitioner, informed the bench that there are doubts whether Swati’s death was really suicide or whether she was silenced to prevent the truth coming out.

He expressed lack of confidence of the petitioner in the ongoing investigation by the local police given the fact of illegal acts by the police in pressurising the petitioner to return Swati to her father’s custody.

The fact that such a “settlement” took place in Ramannapet police station itself shows that the police did not act fairly in this case, counsel alleged.

Since the marriage took place in Mumbai and since Swati had lodged a police complaint in Mumbai apprehending threat from her father, counsel sought a CBI probe into the issue or a Special Investigation Team probe with the court monitoring its progress.

The bench refused this request and instead ordered a SP-rank officer be entrusted with the investigation and posted the matter to June 1, the opening day of the court after summer vacation.