The former Member of Telangana State Legislative Council (MLC) and Senior Advocate N. Ramchander Rao has written a letter to the Secretary of the Bar Council of Telangana requesting to take action against the police officials who allegedly put him in house arrest and obstructed the exercise of his duties as an Advocate.

In his letter dated April 5, 2023, he says that his client Bandi Sanjay Kumar, a Member of Parliament from the Karimnagar constituency was illegally arrested by the Telangana State Police at Karimnagar and brought to Bommalramaram police station in Yadadri Bhuvanagiri District at early hours in the morning.

He says that a person named Avinash, who was the personal assistant of Bandi called him and informed him that Bandi would be produced before the Magistrate at Bhuvanagiri or Hanumkonda and requested him to move a bail application on his behalf. According to him, while he was going to the Bommalramaram police station, police personnel in large numbers stopped him and prevented him from meeting his client Bandi.

“Subsequently, I was taken into the custody of the police and the said police personnel dropped me at my house and put me on house arrest. I humbly submit that I was exercising my professional duty towards my client and I was proceeding to the residence of the concerned magistrate to move a bail application on behalf of my client as today is a court holiday but I have been thwarted by the Police officials Keesara P.S which is highly illegal and condemnable”, he says in the letter.

He has said in the letter that he can identify the police personnel i.e., ACP, DCP, and other officials as their photographs are available for identification and the said police personnel took him into custody while he was wearing his Advocate robes. He has also said that the high-handed action of the police in preventing him to exercise his duty is illegal and arbitrary and that his client suffered his right to avail the appropriate legal remedy.

The letter says, “… I was placed under house arrest, could not do justice to my client and as a matter of fact my client was constantly moved to different places at different times and was finally brought to the concerned magistrate at Hanamkonda, Warangal and same is nothing but abuse of process of law by the police.”

He further said that his professional duty was obstructed by the police officials and that the State Bar Council must interfere in this matter and must come to his rescue by issuing notice to the concerned police officials for curtailing his right to exercise his professional duties as envisaged under Advocates Act, 1961.

“… the act of the police is nothing but abuse process of law leading to miscarriage of Justice. … I request you to initiate appropriate action by taking necessary steps to take stringent action against the concerned police officials in accordance with Law in the interest of Justice”, he has requested in his letter.

Telangana Bar Council

Swasti Chaturvedi