Appear before police in 2 days: HC to KTR’s relative
To be questioned in connection with supply of drugs at a party hosted by Pakala at his farmhouse at Janwada, on the outskirts of Hyderabad
The Telangana high court on Monday gave two-day time to Pakala Rajendra Prasad, alias Raj Pakala, the brother-in-law of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president and former minister KT Rama Rao, to appear before the Cyberabad police for questioning in connection with the alleged supply of drugs at a party hosted by him at his farmhouse at Janwada, on the outskirts of Hyderabad, on Saturday night, people familiar with the matter said on Monday.
Pakala approached the high court challenging the notice served on him by officers of Mokila police station of Cyberabad police commissionerate on Sunday night, asking him to appear before the investigation officer at 11am on Monday for questioning with regard to the party hosted by him.
In the notice pasted on Pakala’s residence, police said: “It is revealed that there are reasonable grounds to question you to ascertain facts and circumstances from you, in relation to the present investigation. Hence, you are directed to appear before me on October 28, 11 am with proof of identity and residence.”
The police cautioned that if Pakala failed to attend or comply with the terms of the notice, he would be liable for arrest under section 35(3),(4),(5) and (6) of Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).
Challenging the notice in the high court, Pakala sought protection against the alleged unlawful attempt by police to implicate him in a criminal case. He said the police were trying to arrest him without just cause and requested an order to prevent his arrest.
Senior advocate Mayur Reddy, arguing on behalf of Pakala, said that police conducted a raid on the latter’s farmhouse when he was hosting a Diwali party for family members, relatives and friends.
“Police claimed that one of the employees of his firm tested positive for drugs and based on this, they booked Pakala as one of the accused in the case. It is purely a politically motivated case,” he said.
Arguing on behalf of the Cyberabad police, additional advocate general Imran Khan said that police did not arrest anyone in the case so far, nor did they mention about arrest in the notice given to Pakala. “Police only wanted to question Pakala because they seized several foreign liquor bottles from the farmhouse without any permits and also one of the participants tested positive for drugs,” he said, adding that no serious measures would be taken during questioning.
After hearing the arguments, Justice B Vijay Sen Reddy gave two-day time to Pakala to appear before the investigating officer. The judge asked police to follow law during the investigation.
On Saturday night, Pakala hosted a Diwali party for his relatives and friends at his farmhouse in Janwada. Late in the night, the Special Operation Team (SOT) of Cyberabad police conducted searches and allegedly found violations of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 and Excise Act.
The Mokila police registered a case in connection with the NDPS Act, whereas Prohibition and Excise sleuths registered a separate case for violation of the Excise Act. The cases were registered under sections 25, 27 and 29 of the NDPS Act, and sections 3 and 4 of the TS Gambling Act.
Out of the 21 men who were made to undergo drug test, one person, Madduri Vijay, tested positive for cocaine. Vijay who was let off after questioning told reporters on Sunday night that the allegations made against him were false.