HYDERABAD: The Telangana high court has posted the hearing in a petition filed against the Saifabad police to July 8 for not registering a case against a reputed film writer and Rajya Sabha member, Vijayendra Prasad, for allegedly making derogatory, scandalous and insulting remarks against Dr BR Ambedkar.The petitioner, a social worker, had first lodged a complaint against Tollywood director SS Rajamouli’s father, Vijayendra Prasad, at the Saifabad police station. Alleging that the police closed the complaint without registering a case, he approached the high court.The petitioner, Batthula Ram Prasad, alleged that despite his complaint to the police in Feb, and the clear disclosure of cognisable offences, no FIR was registered, which is a mandatory statutory obligation under law.Furthermore, the police closed the case after a preliminary inquiry, concluding that Vijayendra Prasad had no intention to insult Ambedkar, he alleged. The petitioner’s counsel, Srikanth Chintala, contended that such a preliminary inquiry is impermissible under Section 18A of the SC & ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.He argued that the provision was specifically introduced to prevent police inaction and that the failure to register an FIR upon receipt of information disclosing an offence under the Act attracts the penal consequences contemplated under Section 4 of the Act. Further, in response to a query from the court, Srikanth submitted that there is a dangerous and growing trend of presuming complaints made by vulnerable groups such as women, children, and members of SC & ST communities to be false at the threshold, while influential and powerful persons are often able to use their social and political clout to avoid legal consequences.While the govt pleader for Home, Mahesh Raje, sought to dismiss the petition, arguing that no grounds had been made out in the matter and citing earlier high court rulings, Justice Madhavi Devi, who was hearing the matter, asked the petitioner’s counsel why he had not approached the competent special court seeking action against the police officers who allegedly failed to act on the complaint. “Without going to the special court, how can you come to the high court in such matters?” the judge observed and adjourned the hearing.
