FIR against lawyer quashed

Justice K. Sujana of Telangana High Court quashed the First Information Report issued by Ameenpur police of Sangareddy district against a lawyer M.A. Mokheem accusing him of preventing public authority from discharging duties.

Allowing the criminal petition filed by the advocate, the Judge said Section 186 of the Indian Penal Code invoked against the petitioner cannot be applied in the case which was registered in 2023. The Ameenpur Inspector registered the case based on a letter sent by Ameenpur Tahasidar S. Gouri Vatsala.

According to the Tahasildar, the petitioner had threatened the Revenue Inspector when the latter stopped the levelling work on a piece of land in survey no. 119 of Ilapur village of the mandal undertaken by the villagers. When the Tahasildar reached the spot, the petitioner allegedly misbehaved with the woman officer.

The petitioner’s counsel told the court that the said land where levelling was undertaken belonged to him and his mother. The land was mutated on their names under the Record of Rights Act and even pattadar passbooks were also issued. The counsel informed the Bench that in 1987 the Municipal Administration and Urban Development Department issued a notification converting the land from industrial use zone to residential use zone.

The government pleader said the government too had land in the same survey number and the petitioner tried to enter that land. Going by the material available, Section 186 of the IPC (obstructing public servant from discharging duties) would not be applicable in the case, the order said. The case would not attract ingredients of Sections 447 and 147 of the IPC either, the Judge said.

Granted bail

In a separate matter, Justice Juvvadi Sridevi of the HC granted anticipatory bail to Nizampet Municipal Commissioner Papannagari Rama Krishna Rao in a criminal case registered by Economic Offences Wing of Cyberabad police accusing him of permitting construction of buildings in Errakunta pond without following due procedures.

The judge directed the municipal commissioner to surrender before the police within two weeks and directed the latter to release him on furnishing a personal bond for ₹20,000 and two sureties of equal sum. The officer should appear before the investigators from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. every Saturday for eight weeks or till filing of charge-sheet whichever is earlier.

Published - October 02, 2024 09:12 pm IST