Justice K. Sujana allowed a batch of five criminal petitions, holding that Ravi was entitled to statutory bail as a matter of right due to non-compliance with the mandatory time limit prescribed under criminal procedure law.
Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court has granted default interim bail to Immadi Ravi alias iBomma Ravi, who is alleged to be the mastermind behind a large-scale online movie piracy network, after the prosecution failed to file a chargesheet within the statutory 90-day period.
Justice K. Sujana allowed a batch of five criminal petitions, holding that Ravi was entitled to statutory bail as a matter of right due to non-compliance with the mandatory time limit prescribed under criminal procedure law.
The court imposed conditions including daily reporting to the investigating officer, surrender of his foreign passport, prohibition on operating piracy platforms, and compliance with all investigative requirements.
The cases were registered by the cybercrime police station, CCS, Hyderabad, based on complaints by film production houses and the Telugu Film Chambers.
Palle Nageshwar Rao, public prosecutor representing the police, argued that the petitioner operated piracy websites, diverted online traffic to illegal betting platforms, and caused losses running into thousands of crores of rupees to the film industry. It also contended that he possessed sophisticated equipment abroad and held foreign citizenship, raising concerns of flight risk and evidence tampering.
The court noted that the petitioner had been in judicial custody for over 90 days and that the chargesheet had not been filed. While observing that the evidentiary value of alleged confessional statements would be tested at trial, the court granted bail on strict conditions.
Collector gets 6-month jail for disobedience
Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court has sentenced Medak district collector Rahul Raj to six months’ simple imprisonment for wilful disobedience of its earlier directions in a land dispute case. The court also imposed a fine of Rs.2,000 and directed that it be paid within four weeks.
The order was passed by Justice K. Lakshman while allowing a contempt case filed by Nagavelli Lakshmi. The court suspended the sentence of imprisonment for four weeks.
The contempt proceedings arose from the alleged non-compliance with an order dated June 4, 2024, in a writ petition filed by Lakshmi over 2.22 acres of land in Survey No. 284/A/2 situated at Bonal of the district’s Chegunta mandal.
Lakshmi had claimed succession to the property and sought mutation of her name in the revenue records along with issuance of a pattadar passbook. Earlier, the High Court had set aside the collector’s proceedings dated January 20, 2024, and directed him to conduct a fresh inquiry strictly in accordance with law.
The court had specifically instructed the collector to issue notices to the petitioner and private parties who are opponents — Thipparaboina Gangaiah, Golla Narayana and Kashaboyina Mallaiah — examine unregistered sale deeds (sada bainama) and regularisation proceedings, and pass fresh orders within the stipulated time.
The fresh proceedings issued on December 31, 2024, once again rejected the petitioner’s claim. During the hearing of the contempt case, the court examined the original records and found no material to show that notice had been served on the petitioner prior to passing the fresh order.
Though the state submitted that notice had been sent through WhatsApp, the same was not disclosed in the counter affidavit filed before the court. The court held that there was no proof of proper service of notice and that the petitioner had been denied a fair opportunity of hearing.
Observing that the matter had reached the court for the second time and that a 51-year-old woman was being made to repeatedly approach the judiciary over a two-acre land dispute, the court concluded that the disobedience of its earlier order was deliberate and wilful.
Provide tuition fee arrears, HC tells TG
Hyderabad: Justice E.V. Venugopal of the Telangana High Court directed the state government to provide data on the tuition fee arrears to engineering colleges. The judge was dealing with a batch of petitions complaining of wilful and deliberate inaction of the part of the state government in releasing approximately Rs.1,500 crore as tuition fee dues.
Senior counsel L. Ravichander, appearing for Keshav Memorial Institute of Technology, pointed out that if such huge amounts were due from a private individual, the courts would have punished the defaulter. In the present case, even after “tokens” were issued for admitted amounts, payments for over five years were pending.
It was the case of the petitioners that under the scheme enunciated by the government, tuition fee for candidates belonging to SC, ST and Backward Classes communities would be paid directly by the government to the colleges. The government owed about Rs.56 crore to Keshav Memorial Institute of Technology, it was stated.
Senior counsel pointed to the government orders of 2024 which had budgetary approval for about Rs.1,500 crore. Non-payments of the amount to the colleges after securing budgetary approval would amount to misappropriation and malfeasance, he said.
Referring to responses from the government pleaders, senior counsel said brazen defences contrary to the records and assurances hitherto given to the court were advanced, obviously due to ignorance. Ravichander argued that the colleges in question were not only required to pay salaries to the faculty and to the non-teaching staff but also statutory dues such as PF and withholding the fee reimbursement amounts completely jeopardised the administration of the colleges in question.
HC asks cops to produce ‘missing’ chairperson contender
Hyderabad: The drama relating to the election of chairperson and vice-chairperson of Ibrahimpatnam municipality reached the Telangana High Court. Akula Harikanth, son of Akula Yadagiri, filed a habeas corpus writ petition complaining that his father, a likely candidate for the post of chairperson, had gone missing since February 15.
It was also alleged that Yadagiri was illegally detained by two local political leaders, Manchireddy Kishan Reddy and Manchireddy Prashanth Reddy. The petitioner complained that members of the BRS held a meeting on February 15 and since then the detenue was “deliberately and illegally detained” by the unofficial respondents for extraneous reasons.
On the basis of the allegations, a division bench comprising Justice Moushumi Bhattacharya and Justice Gadi Praveen Kumar stayed all further proceedings of the election meeting that was being held at Ibrahimpatnam and directed the police to produce the missing person before the court.
In the after-recess session, senior counsel L. Ravichander made a mention before the court stating inter alia that the alleged detenue was not missing, and that election for the post of chairperson was completed with the participation of Yadagiri.
Ramana Rao appearing for the private respondents said that the allegations levelled against them were baseless. He also pointed out that Yadagiri out of his own free will participated in the election and was sworn in as councillor.
Earlier in the day, senior counsel A. Venkatesh voiced apprehensions on the whereabouts of Yadagiri and his safety. After hearing all parties, the bench required the Ibrahimpatnam police station house officer to produce the councillor before the court with the assistance of advocate Ramakrishna Reddy who was appointed as an amicus.
