Telangana High Court directs DGP to identify police officials who misbehaved with woman MLAs

The Telangana High Court on Tuesday directed the Director General of Police to ‘consider the incident (of preventing BRS legislators from entering Assembly on September 7) and identify the officials who misbehaved/manhandled the women legislators. 

Justice T. Madhavi Devi of the High Court, modifying an earlier order passed on September 7 in a petition filed by BRS Legislature Party, also directed the DGP to furnish a report on the incident to the Speaker for necessary action. The judge instructed the DGP to submit a report on the incident to the bench if it happened outside the precincts of the Assembly i.e. , at the entry point of the Assembly. 

The BRSLP moved the HC on September 7 when their members were prevented by the police from entering the Assembly at the main entry point on the first day of Assembly’s eighth session. Justice Madhavi Devi passed an order the same evening directing the authorities not to stop legislators from entering the Assembly from the next day. 

Clarifying that it was for the Speaker and not the police to take action if any Rules of the Assembly were violated. The judge also directed the DGP to identify erring police officials in the incident, take strict action against them and report to the bench. Seeking vacation of this order, the Hyderabad Police Commissioner filed an interim application along with a counter affidavit. 

Advocate General A. Sudarshan Reddy, presenting his contentions, said while police requested the BRS legislators not to enter Assembly wearing black T-shirts containing slogans, BRS MLA T. Harish Rao threatened police personnel. BRS MLA K.T. Rama Rao made objectionable and insensitive comments targeting the women police personnel. When women legislators were allowed to step inside the Assembly, MLAs D. Sudheer Reddy, Gangula Kamalakar, Padi Kaushik Reddy, T. Harish Rao and others attempted to force their way into the Assembly hiding behind, the AG said. 

The AG submitted that many legislators took off their T shirts in front of women police personnel which was objectionable. These acts at the entry gate of the Assembly fell within the meaning of the ‘precincts of the House’, the AG said. Referring to Hyderabad Police Commissioner’s contention that BRS legislators violated the prohibitory orders, the judge said the First Information Report issued over the incident did not mention any such violation. 

Even the prohibitory orders were against public meetings or process near or around 4 km radius of Assembly. There was no bar against entry of MLAs into Assembly or Council, the judge noted. The authorities did not explain as to why the women legislators were taken to BRS Bhavan when they did not violate any directives of the Speaker. 

There was no allegation or evidence that women legislators also misbehaved with the police, the order said.