Telangana HC takes up suicide incident of medico Preethi as PIL, issues notices

Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court took up the suicide case of Kakatiya Medical College PG student Dr Dharavath Preethi a public interest litigation on Tuesday, and issued notices to the Chief Secretary and several officers to which they have to reply by July 28.

Those who were given notice were principal secretary, medical, Director of Medical Education, Warangal police commissioner, Principal of the Kakatiya Medical College and the head of the college’s anaesthesia department.

The division bench of Chief Justice Ujjal Bhuyan and Justice N. Tukaramji took the case as taken up PIL based on the letter addressed by M. Mallaiah, president, Scheduled Tribes Employees Welfare Association, BHEL, Ramachandrapuram, Hyderabad about the suicide. He said Dr Preethi, a first year MD Anaesthesia student, had died by suicide due to alleged ragging, harassment and ridiculing of her caste by Dr Mohammed Saif and others. Dr Preethi belonged to the Scheduled Tribes community.

He said Dr Preethi’s parents had complained to the police and other officials but their efforts to get the culprits booked went in vain. The petitioner sought a direction to the police to book Dr Saif and his associates under Section 302 of IPC, a CBI probe into the suicide and compensation for the victim’s parents.