Hyderabad: In a surprising turn of events, a Railway Court in Warangal initially sent BRS Huzurabad MLA Padi Kaushik Reddy to a 14-day remand but then granted him conditional bail on Saturday in an extortion case.
Kaushik Reddy was taken into custody by the Warangal Subedari police right after he arrived at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Shamshabad early on Saturday. The police then transported him to Warangal for further questioning. Reports suggest he was planning to leave the country.
The police filed cases against Reddy under BNS Sections 308(2), 308(4), and 352, which deal with attempted culpable homicide and assault. The charges arose from a dispute with a quarry owner, during which Reddy allegedly made threats.
Allegations claim that Reddy had already extorted Rs 25 lakh and was demanding another Rs 50 lakh from Uma Devi, the wife of quarry operator Manoj Reddy, for operating a quarry near Vangapalli village in Hanumakonda district.
Subedari Inspector M Ranjith Kumar presented call records as evidence in court, supporting claims that Reddy demanded money from the quarry operator. The Telangana High Court had dismissed Reddy’s petition to quash the charges earlier in the week. His arrest led to strong reactions from BRS leaders, while opposition leaders accused Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy of reviving past authoritarian policies.
