Hyderabad: Dealing with a habeas corpus petition that alleged that the police and forest department officials had illegally detained 15 tribals after forcing them to vacate their dwellings in Warangal forest range, the Telangana High Court on Wednesday directed the police of Mahbubabad district and the district forest officer of Warangal to produce the detainees before it on July 12.
The division bench comprising Chief Justice Raghavendra Singh Chauhan and Justice Shameem Akther was dealing with a petition by Maddisetti Samelu of the Khammam district seeking a direction to the forest and police officials to release the detainees.
Counsel representing the government said that the tribals were not in the custody of the officials and they were moving freely in the forest.
Counsel for the petitioner submitted that the officials were trying to dispossess the tribal families from Miryalapenta of Mahbubabad district. He informed that the tribals had been living in that area since their forefathers time by cultivating podu lands and now they were not permitted to move in the forests.
The court directed the respondents to present the 15 tribals who they had allegedly detained before it on July 12.
