Telangana High Court extends bail for phone tapping case accused

The Telangana High Court on Monday extended the interim bail granted to suspended Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) N Bhujanga Rao, the third accused in the ongoing phone tapping case, until November 28.

By LEGAL CORRESPONDENT

Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court on Monday extended the interim bail granted to suspended Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) N Bhujanga Rao, the third accused in the ongoing phone tapping case, until November 28. Justice K Sujana, who had previously granted the interim bail extension on medical grounds, continued the relief after Bhujanga Rao’s counsel presented arguments highlighting his serious health conditions, including heart and kidney ailments. The accused had initially sought an extension of his interim bail after the First Metropolitan Sessions Judge (MSJ) at Nampally rejected his plea, directing him to surrender before the XIV Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) Court. In response, Bhujanga Rao filed a petition before the High Court, seeking an extension based on his medical condition. During the hearing today, the court was informed that the bail application of another accused, Mekala Thirupathanna, is pending before the Supreme Court, with a hearing scheduled for November 27. Taking this into account, Justice Sujana decided to extend Bhujanga Rao’s interim bail until November 28 and posted the case for further hearing on the same day. Additionally, the criminal petition filed by P Radha Kishan Rao, the fifth accused in the case, seeking bail, was adjourned to November 21 for further consideration.

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Telangana High Court asks State committee to consider kidney transplant plea

Hyderabad: A two-judge bench of the Telangana High Court on Monday directed the State Authorization Committee for Organ Transplant to reconsider a plea for renal kidney transplantation. The bench, comprising Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice J. Sreenivas Rao, was hearing a writ appeal filed by Anne Siva Ram, whose application for kidney transplantation had been rejected by the Committee. Siva Ram had initially sought approval for a kidney transplant, with his family members willing to donate their kidneys. However, they were declared ineligible. In response, his family friend, Mondi Ravi, offered to donate his kidney. The Committee, citing concerns over the altruistic nature of the donation, rejected the application, raising doubts based on assumptions and suspicions. Siva Ram challenged the rejection before the Appellate Authority under The Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act, 1994, which remanded the matter for fresh consideration. Despite this, the Committee issued a new order that the petitioner argued lacked proper reasoning and reflected non-application of mind. The Single Judge, while refusing to overturn the Committee’s decision, had noted that the Committee’s rejection was based on several factors, including financial disparity between the donor and recipient, the recipient’s young children, and concerns over the sincerity of the donation. However, the writ appeal argued that the Committee’s reasons were unclear and that it had introduced new justifications in written instructions not present in the original order. Taking these issues into account, the division bench remanded the matter back to the State Authorization Committee for fresh consideration and instructed it to pass a reasoned order within ten days.

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Telangana High Court grants bail to YS Vivekananda Reddy murder accused

Hyderabad: Justice K Lakshman of the Telangana High Court on Monday granted bail to Gajjala Uma Sankar Reddy, the third accused in the brutal murder of YS Vivekananda Reddy, a prominent political figure. The judge delivered the order after hearing arguments from M. Nagi Reddy, the counsel for the petitioner, Anil Tanwar, the Special Public Prosecutor for the CBI, and S. Goutham, the counsel for Dr. Suneetha Narreddy, the daughter of the deceased. The judge noted that the accused had been in custody for nearly three years, in his ruling, Justice Lakshman referred to the Supreme Court’s decision in the Manish Sisodia case, which held that prolonged pre-trial detention should not serve as a form of punishment. The bail was granted with conditions including, executing a personal bond for Rs. 25,000 with two sureties of like amount, reporting at Pulivendula Police Station every Saturday.