Telangana HC faults Suryapet cops for bias against seed company

Hyderabad: Justice C.V. Bhasker Reddy of the Telangana High Court on Thursday faulted Suryapet police for summoning the management and employees of SeedWorks International pvt ltd, without registering a case on allegations of loss to nurseries and farmers caused by the SW-450 variety of chilli seeds that it manufactures.

The judge was dealing with a writ plea filed by SeedWorks complaining that the police had confined its managerial personnel and other staff on the grounds that farmers had lodged a complaint against the quality of SW-450 seeds.

The petitioner said that some farmers and nursery owners had started an agitation against the company and took employees to the police station where they forced them to sign an undertaking towards payment of damages.

The petitioner said that the surveys and on-ground inspections had shown that due to the improved weather conditions in the past few weeks, the fruit setting and maturity had reflected positively in a majority of the cultivated areas. The crops had started producing fruits successfully and the seed variety was successful, the petitioner said.

The farmers were advised to maintain their crops and take necessary measures to achieve the desired yield.

Senior counsel L. Ravichander pointed out that assuming without conceding that the seed quality did not yield the desired result, the remedy lay in following the procedure established under the Seeds Act.

He pointed out to a judgment of the High Court that no prosecution could be initiated independent of the provisions of the Seeds Act. He said that it was yet another instance of unauthorised action of the police in a matter outside their jurisdiction.

Ravichander pointed out that there was no police complaint alleging spurious seeds; even if there was one, it had to be investigated and prosecuted by the statutory authority under the Act.

Considering the submission of senior counsel, Justice Bhasker Reddy directed the police not to interfere with or harass the company employees, and not to force them illegally to settle losses said to have been caused to the farmers with regard to the chilli seed variety, without following the due process of law.