KARIMNAGAR: Farmer Marri Rajaiah, 55, was brought handcuffed to the court located in Courts building in Huzurabad, by the police in Karimnagar district on Tuesday. He was a native of Seethampeta village in Hasanparthy mandal. Rajaiah had a piece of assigned land on the outskirts of Elakathurthy mandal headquarters and he had picked up an argument with the Elakathurthi tahsildar Mallesham over his land and pattadar passbook.
Rajaiah was arrested on the charges of manhandling the tahsildar on July 16 after he questioned the latter over irregularities and mistakes in pattadar passbook and was remanded to court. Subsequently, police registered a non-bailable case against Rajaiah under section 353 for obstructing a government employee from discharging his duties and sent him to jail.
On Tuesday, a hand cuffed Rajaiah was produced in the court in Huzurabad by the police. This generated serious reactions amongst the farming community and also drew the ire of the common people. Earlier, a few farmers who had allegedly vandalised the Agriculture Market office over poor price being paid to chilli were brought to court in handcuffs in Khammam in May, 2017.
Farmers welfare bodies criticised the state government for insulting the farmers by using hand cuffs as if he was a criminal. The farmers bodies said questioning on irregularities was a constitutional right of any individual. Huzurabad is represented by finance minister Etela Rajender. Mr S. Pradeep Kumar, a criminal lawyer, said handcuffing an accused was not tenable under the law. No police officer was allowed to handcuff an accused without the permission of the court. Handcuffing was allowed only under rare circumstances when the police was unable to control the accused. He said though Section 353 of the IPC was earlier bailable and now it was being treated as a non-bailable offence.
