Telangana HC tells DGP to identify police officials who manhandled women BRS MLAs

The Telangana High Court on Tuesday directed the Director General of Police to examine the September 7 incident in which BRS legislators were stopped from entering the Assembly and to identify the police officials who misbehaved with or manhandled the women legislators.

Justice T. Madhavi Devi, modifying an earlier order passed on September 7, also asked the DGP to submit a report on the incident to the Speaker for necessary action. If the incident occurred outside the Assembly precincts, that is at the entry point, the DGP must file a report before the bench, the judge said.

The BRS Legislature Party had approached the High Court on September 7 after its members were prevented by police from entering the Assembly through the main entry point on the first day of the eighth session. The court passed an order the same evening directing authorities not to stop legislators from entering the Assembly from the next day.

In the modified order, the judge clarified that action for any violation of Assembly Rules lay with the Speaker and not the police. She also directed the DGP to identify the erring police officials, take strict action against them and report to the bench.

The Hyderabad Police Commissioner filed an interim application along with a counter affidavit seeking vacation of the order. Advocate General A. Sudarshan Reddy argued that while police requested BRS legislators not to enter the Assembly wearing black T-shirts bearing slogans, BRS MLA T. Harish Rao threatened police personnel, and BRS MLA K.T. Rama Rao made objectionable and insensitive remarks targeting women police personnel.

The Advocate General submitted that when women legislators were allowed to step inside, MLAs D. Sudheer Reddy, Gangula Kamalakar, Padi Kaushik Reddy, T. Harish Rao and others tried to force their way in by hiding behind them. He also said many legislators removed their T-shirts in front of women police personnel, which was objectionable, and contended that these acts at the entry gate fell within the meaning of the precincts of the House.

On the Police Commissioner's contention that BRS legislators violated prohibitory orders, the judge noted that the First Information Report over the incident did not mention any such violation. The prohibitory orders were against public meetings or processions near or around a four-kilometre radius of the Assembly, and there was no bar on MLAs entering the Assembly or the Council, she observed.

The authorities also did not explain why the women legislators were taken to BRS Bhavan when they had not violated any directive of the Speaker, the judge said. There was no allegation or evidence that the women legislators misbehaved with the police, the order added.