Privacy rights: Hyderabad High Court says firm no to parading of suspects

Hyderabad: The Hyderabad High Court on Tuesday refused the request to grant two weeks time to the Director General of Police of Andhra Pradesh to file an affidavit in the case, observing that the police have been treating suspects-accused in their custody as animals by allowing them to be paraded at media conferences.

On June 21, a division bench comprising Justice C V Nagarjuna Reddy and Justice G. Shyam Prasad dealing with a petition by K Sagar, a resident of Adinarayanapuram in Prakasam district, had directed the DGP of AP to explain by June 26 under which power the police are parading suspects in press conferences.

When this petition came up for hearing on Tuesday, the counsel for the Andhra Pradesh police urged the bench to grant two weeks time to file the affidavit.

The bench refused to grant two weeks time and said: “You are treating the accused-suspects as animals that is why you are allowing them before the media without any respect to their Right to Privacy which is a fundamental right. We will grant only a week’s time to you to file the affidavit as per our earlier direction.”

The petitioner has questioned the action of Atmakur police of Kurnool district in parading his mother in a press conference and also humiliating her in front of media persons.

The bench adjourned the matter for a week.