Telangana Retired DCP Seeks Bail in Phone-Tapping Case
Hyderabad: Retired Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) P Radha Kishan Rao, who is named as Accused No. 5 (A-5) in a phone-tapping case, has filed a petition requesting bail. He submitted this criminal petition on Thursday, asking the court to “enlarge him on bail” in relation to crime no. 243/2024 registered at Panjagutta Police Station. The charges against him include various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the PDPP Act, and the IT Act. The petition will be heard by a single judge of the Telangana High Court on October 18.
Earlier, Rao had attempted to secure bail from a lower court, but his request was denied. The First Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge in Nampally rejected his bail plea on May 2. The court cited the seriousness of the offenses and the possibility that, given his position as a senior police officer, he might obstruct the investigation. The judge also noted the case’s “grave nature” as a reason for denying bail.
There are a total of six accused in this case. Apart from Rao, the other accused are Mekala Tirupathanna (A-4), retired IPS officer D Prabhakar Rao (A-1), DSP Dugyala Praneeth Rao (A-2), Additional SP Nayini Bhujanga Rao (A-3), and TV reporter Aruvela Shravan Kumar Rao (A-6).
Mekala Tirupathanna, another accused, also filed a petition in the High Court seeking bail. However, Justice Juvvadi Sridevi dismissed the plea, stating that the investigation team planned to file a supplementary chargesheet, and the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) still needed to submit a report.
Radha Kishan Rao, in his petition, argued that he is a senior citizen and was relieved from service on October 20, 2023. He claims his arrest was based on inadmissible confessions from two other accused (A-3 and A-4) made while in police custody. Rao also emphasized that the witnesses in the case are mainly police officers or public servants, and the evidence is largely scientific and documentary, which he cannot tamper with. He assured the court that he would not flee if granted bail.
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Unsuccessful Group-1 Candidates Challenge HC Order
On Thursday, two writ petitions were filed in the Telangana High Court by candidates who failed to qualify for the Group-1 preliminary exam. The unsuccessful aspirants are challenging an order from October 15 passed by Justice Pulla Karthik, who had refused to cancel the Group-1 preliminary examination.
One of the writ appeals was filed by Satta Shekhar and two others, while the second was filed by Damodar Reddy and seven others. Both appeals will be heard by a division bench consisting of Justices Abhinand Kumar Shavili and Laxmi Narayana Alishetty on October 18.
The petitioners raised several concerns in their appeals. They argued that the Telangana Public Service Commission (TGPSC) does not have the authority to cancel its earlier notification dated April 26, 2022, and issue a new one on February 19, 2024, to conduct the Group-1 preliminary exam. They also pointed out that the judge failed to address the wrong questions in the examination, which the petitioners had raised. Furthermore, they criticized the cancellation of the 2022 notification for 503 vacancies and the issuance of a new one for 563 vacancies in 2024, arguing that this allows previously ineligible candidates to now qualify.
Additionally, the petitioners highlighted that Scheduled Tribes (STs) have been given 10% reservation in government jobs, up from the previous 6%, which they claim increases the competition for available positions.
The division bench, led by Justice Shavili, will hear the writs on October 18. If the appeals are not numbered by then, the petitioners’ lawyers plan to urge the court to hear the matter urgently, as the Group-1 Main exam is scheduled to start on October 21.
