Hyderabad: Telangana high court came down heavily yet again on the Madhura Nagar police, who have been accused of forcefully dragging a 70-year-old retired police officer out of his home and abandoning him on the road midway while on the way to the police station.Justice T Madhavi Devi, hearing a petition filed by the retired cop Mohammed Osman, referring to the pictures of the alleged incident, remarked, “It is clearly evident from the photographs. Just because law is in your hands, you do as you wish. I’m a police officer, I will do whatever I want. Is it so?” and directed the respondent sub-inspector of Madhura Nagar police station to stand in the court till lunchtime on Wednesday.According to the petitioner, the SI, along with two constables from Madhura Nagar, was involved in the incident.During the hearing on Tuesday, the judge ordered the presence of the SI, who is facing allegations of harassing the petitioner, as there was no proper response on why the petitioner should not be compensated for the alleged police action towards him.On Wednesday, when he appeared before the court, the judge asked him to explain the reasons for dragging the petitioner even as he was in his undergarments (lungi and banian) and abandoning him on the road in a helpless state.Govt pleader for home Mahesh Raje responded, saying that there was already a complaint with the police commissioner in this matter and submitted that the commissioner might be directed to inquire and urged to dispose of the matter.Raje further informed that the petitioner’s son was an accused in a criminal case of assaulting police personnel in 2023 and the petitioner, being a retired police officer, has been shielding him since then. He contended that a detailed counter would be filed explaining the case details and also how the alleged incident transpired.“Did you inform him of the reasons for taking him to the police station? Whatever may be the involvement of his son, you cannot drag him in that manner, despite being a retired officer. Your duty is to intimate the ground of arrest. You did not talk about the (son’s) case till now. Now, you say all these,” the judge remarked.The judge further observed whether she has to summon the CP before the court so that he knows how his officers were dealing with court proceedings, and were negligent in responding to court directions.Further, on the GP Home’s request, the judge directed CP to inquire into the complaint by the petitioner and submit a report to the court, and adjourned the hearing by two weeks.
