Cops defy Telangana High Court’s habeas order

Hyderabad: Pulling up the police for not obeying its orders, the High Court on Thursday directed police personnel to produce D. Devendra, C. Shilpa and Manchu Ramesh, activists of Chaitanya Mahila Sangam. on Friday for recording their statements.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice Raghavendra Singh Chauhan and Justice A. Abhishek Reddy was dealing a habeas corpus petition challenging the alleged illegal detention of the activists.

The bench had directed the police on Wednesday to produce them on Thursday. Instead of producing them as directed, the police on Thursday submitted that the activists were remanded before the magistrate court in Khammam district.

The police submitted an affidavit to the court explaining the reasons for the arrest but they refused to serve a copy to the petitioner who had challenged the detention by stating that it was confidential.

This was brought to the notice of the court by counsel of the petitioner, who worried that the activists may have been subjected to third degree methods. He said the police was not allowing the friends and relatives to meet the detainees. He requested the court to record their statements of them.

The bench became furious when it received a reply from counsel for the government that the High Court does not have jurisdiction to record the statement. Asking him which law prohibited the High Court from recording the statement of the detainees, the bench directed the police produce them on Friday.