Telangana HC Defers Hearing on Plea Against Writer Vijayendra Prasad

The Telangana High Court in Hyderabad has deferred the hearing of a petition filed against the Saifabad police for failing to register a case against prominent film writer and Rajya Sabha member Vijayendra Prasad. The petition, which centers on alleged derogatory, scandalous, and insulting remarks made against Dr. BR Ambedkar, has been scheduled for its next hearing on July 8.

The petitioner, a social worker named Batthula Ram Prasad, approached the high court after the Saifabad police closed his initial complaint without registering a First Information Report (FIR). The social worker had first lodged the complaint against Vijayendra Prasad, who is the father of Tollywood director SS Rajamouli, at the Saifabad police station in February.

Batthula Ram Prasad alleged that despite his complaint clearly disclosing cognisable offences, the Saifabad police did not register an FIR, which he argued is a mandatory statutory obligation under the law. Instead of registering the case, the police closed the complaint after conducting a preliminary inquiry, concluding that Vijayendra Prasad had no intention to insult Dr. BR Ambedkar.

During the high court proceedings, the petitioner's counsel, Srikanth Chintala, contended that conducting such a preliminary inquiry is legally impermissible under Section 18A of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

Chintala argued that the specific provision under Section 18A was introduced into the law to prevent police inaction. He further argued that the failure of the police to register an FIR upon receiving information that discloses an offence under the SC & ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act attracts the penal consequences contemplated under Section 4 of the Act.

The deferred hearing on July 8 will address these legal arguments regarding police procedures and their statutory obligations to register FIRs under the SC & ST Act.