Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy has secured relief after the Supreme Court upheld the Telangana High Court’s decision to quash an SC/ST Atrocities case registered against him in 2016. Hearing the petition on Monday, a bench comprising Chief Justice Justice Suryakant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V.M. Pancholi dismissed the challenge to the High Court order and made strong observations against the misuse of courts for political purposes.
The case pertains to a 2016 complaint filed by a person named Peddiraju, who alleged that in connection with a land dispute in Gopanpally, Hyderabad, he was attacked and abused with caste-based remarks, claiming that Revanth Reddy had instigated the incident. After examining the matter, the High Court had earlier quashed the FIR, citing lack of sufficient grounds. The complainant subsequently approached the Supreme Court challenging that decision.
During the hearing, the apex court noted that there was no direct evidence placing Revanth Reddy at the scene of the alleged incident. The bench observed that the case appeared to rely largely on hearsay statements and remarked that personal and political considerations seemed to be behind the complaint. It cautioned that judicial forums should not be used as instruments for settling political scores.
The court further clarified that the mere filing of a chargesheet by the police does not automatically lend credibility to allegations unless supported by strong and substantive evidence. Finding no merit in the petitioner’s arguments, the Supreme Court upheld the High Court’s ruling and dismissed the case. Senior advocate Siddharth Luthra appeared on behalf of Revanth Reddy.