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HC pulls up Telangana for delayed counter-affidavit in T Raja case
Telangana high court on Thursday pulled up the state government for not filing the counter-affidavit within two weeks, defending the arrest of Bharatiya Janata Party lawmaker from Hyderabad T Raja Singh under the Preventive Detention Act on August 25 for allegedly making blasphemous comments against Prophet Mohammed
Telangana high court on Thursday pulled up the state government for not filing the counter-affidavit within two weeks, defending the arrest of Bharatiya Janata Party lawmaker from Hyderabad T Raja Singh under the Preventive Detention Act on August 25 for allegedly making blasphemous comments against Prophet Mohammed.
A division bench of the state high court comprising justice A Abhishek Reddy and justice Juvvadi Sridevi, which was hearing a petition filed by Singh’s wife Usha Bai, directed the state to file a counter by October 28, failing which it would have to give an ex-parte order.
A judicial proceeding, order, or injunction is said to be ex-parte when it is taken or granted at the instance and for the benefit of one party only and without notice to or contestation by, any person adversely interested.
State government’s counsel M Kumar Sadashivuni told the court that the counter affidavit was in the final stages of preparation and requested the court to grant one more week to submit it.
In her petition on September 6, Usha Bai challenged the invoking of Preventive Detention Act (PD Act) by the Hyderabad police against her husband after he was arrested on August 25 for his alleged remarks on the Prophet on August 23.
She said her husband was arrested under the PD Act by the Telangana government only “to satisfy a section of people and not for any other reason”. He has since been lodged in Cherlapalli jail.
Raja Singh was later suspended from the BJP for his controversial remarks. According to the police, 101 criminal cases were registered against the BJP leader who was “involved in 18 communal offences”.
The police said that Singh has been “habitually delivering provocative and inflammatory speeches” and “driving a wedge between communities leading to public disorder”.
Referring to the video released by Singh on YouTube, the police said that protests had erupted in Hyderabad City and other parts of Telangana after his video went viral, and “drove a wedge between communities and disturbed the peaceful nature of Hyderabad and Telangana State”.
