Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court on Saturday directed the investigative team not to take coercive steps two government officials on whom the Cyberabad economic offences wing (EOW) police had filed criminal cases on a complaint of HYDRAA,
The court directed the investigation team to issue notices under Section 35 (3) of BNSS (previously Section 41-A of the CrPC) and hear the contentions of the accused officers before taking action against them.
The Cyberabad EOW had booked six officials for encouraging illegal construction inside lakes and ponds, based on a complaint filed by HYDRAA commissioner A.V. Ranganath on August 30. The FIR invoked sections that relate to criminal conspiracy, misappropriation, disobedience, abetment, criminal conspiracy, fake evidence, breach of trust by public servant, among others.
Challenging the registering of cases and seeking to stay the criminal proceedings, the two accused officers, Phool Singh, tahsildar of Bachupally, and K. Srinivasulu, assistant director, survey and land records, Medchal-Malkajgiri, approached the High Court.
According to the complainant, the Errakunta pond measured 3.033 acres but permissions were granted based on incorrect geocoordinates, placing the constructions 75 metres away from the actual location of the waterbody. The complaint also alleged that the official from survey and land records department did not provide adequate documentation for the investigation and may have been partial to the encroachers by altering coordinates.
The court was not inclined to stay the criminal proceedings or quash the charges but directed the police to follow due procedure.
