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Justice C.V. Bhaskar Reddy of Telangana High Court on Thursday declined to permit the lunch motion moved by Delhi police seeking a direction to vacate the order not to take coercive steps against the persons accused of making and circulating a morphed video footage of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
The judge, while hearing contentions of the counsel for Delhi police Srujan Reddy, noted that Delhi police can approach the lower court, take prisoner transit warrant and question them as part of further investigation into the case. A team of Delhi police arrived in Hyderabad recently after registering a criminal case of some persons doctoring a video clip and circulating it, in which the Union Minister was seen making some observations about reservations.
They had already issued notices to Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and others in the matter. Meanwhile, the Hyderabad police registered a separate case based on a complaint relating to a similar content, by BJP general secretary Premender Reddy. The sleuths of CCS arrested Manne Satish and five others and presented them before a local court. The lower court judge granted them bail.
Meanwhile, Manne Sathish and five others (all members of the Congress party social media cell) moved the HC by filing a writ petition seeking a direction not to arrest them. Justice B. Vijaysen Reddy, who heard the petition, directed the Delhi police not to take any coercive steps against the petitioners and follow the due process of law. In this backdrop, the Delhi police moved the lunch motion requesting the HC to vacate the order passed by Justice Vijaysen Reddy. After declining to permit the lunch motion, Justice Bhaskar Reddy adjourned the matter to June 12 for next hearing.
In a related development, Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee working president Mahesh Kumar Goud filed a writ petition seeking a direction to the Delhi police not to arrest the TPCC social media secretaries. Justice C.V. Bhaskar Reddy, who heard the petition, said the petition should be closed since another judge of the HC already instructed the Hyderabad police not to arrest the TPCC social media personnel following notices issued by Delhi police to them.
The judge, however, adjourned the hearing after summer vacation following the request of the senior counsel appearing for the petitioner.
