Did you take V-C’s permission before searching Kaseem’s house, police asked

The Telangana High Court on Saturday directed the Gajwel police of Siddipet commissionerate to produce associate professor Chintakindi Kaseem, whom they arrested, before it on Sunday morning.

The order was passed by a bench of Chief Justice Raghavendra Singh Chauhan and Justice A. Abhishek Reddy, after hearing a habeas corpus petition.

The plea was filed by Civil Liberties Committee Telangana State president Gaddam Laxman by moving a House Motion.

Saturday being a holiday for the HC, the bench heard the contentions of the petitioner’s lawyer V. Raghunath and government counsel at the residence of the Chief Justice here. The bench directed the police to present the associate professor before it at the CJ’s residence at 10.30 a.m. on Sunday.

“It is surprising that in a First Information Report registered four years ago, the police have not been able to arrest the professor,” the bench observed in its order. The bench also noted that a professor engaged in conducting classes in the university was claimed to be absconding from the university.

“Therefore, the stand being taken by the State is rather unbelievable,” the bench said in its order. The House Motion was moved by Mr. Laxman around 10 a.m. even as police were searching the professor’s house.

The bookshelves in the quarters of professor Kaseem

The HC Registry informed the petitioner to appear at the CJ’s residence where the bench headed by him would hear the matter at 5 p.m.

While presenting his arguments, lawyer Raghunath said detention and house arrest of the professor in the name of searches was illegal. They broke open the rear doors of his house and terrorised his family members, he charged.

The lawyer told media persons that the CJ had sought to know from the police if they had taken permission of Osmania University Vice-Chancellor before conducting searches in the professor’s house.

According to the lawyer, the CJ had told Special Government Pleader Harinder Prasad, who appeared on behalf of the government, that he had noticed during a visit to Warangal that none of the nearly 3,000 non-bailable warrants had been executed by the police. The SGP said the police were about to present the arrested professor before a magistrate in Gajwel.

The bench instructed the police to present the professor before it by 10.30 a.m. on Sunday.