Ibrahimpatnam civic poll drama: Telangana high court orders missing councillor produced

Hyderabad: The election of the municipal chairperson in Ibrahimpatnam on Hyderabad's outskirts took a dramatic turn on Tuesday, with the power struggle spilling into Telangana high court amid allegations of kidnapping, political pressure and police interference.A division bench of Justices Moushumi Bhattacharya and Gadi Praveen Kumar directed Ibrahimpatnam police to produce councillor Akula Yadagiri before the court at 10.30 am on Wednesday and appointed a senior advocate as amicus curiae to assist in the matter.
Yadagiri, elected from ward 19 on a BRS ticket, was allegedly kidnapped by leaders of a rival faction within his own party. The court was hearing a habeas corpus petition filed by his son, Akula Harikanth, who claimed that his father was kidnapped to prevent him from becoming chairperson. He alleged that former MLA Manchireddy Kishan Reddy and his son Prashanth Reddy were behind the kidnap. A missing case had already been registered at Ibrahimpatnam police station. The petition, taken up as a lunch motion, initially led the bench to stay the election to the posts of chairperson and vice-chairman and direct that Yadagiri be produced before the court on Feb 20. However, during the post-lunch session, lawyers for a vice-chairman candidate from another party informed the court that Yadagiri had appeared at the municipal council meeting, taken oath as councillor before the returning officer and participated in the chairperson election. When the bench indicated it would ask police to produce Yadagiri in court, senior counsel L Ravi Chander objected, saying the police could be under the influence of the ‘state' (govt). Counsel's claimIn response, Harikanth's counsel A. Venkatesh argued that Yadagiri remained in the custody of the former MLA and was forcibly brought to the meeting. "They did not allow even his wife and son to meet him (at the meeting)," he told the court. Ravi Chander urged that police should not be tasked with producing Yadagiri and instead sought appointment of an advocate commissioner. Venkatesh, however, requested that police immediately take Yadagiri into custody and present him before the court. Amicus appointedHe further submitted that Yadagiri wished to come to court voluntarily but was prevented by the Ibrahimpatnam ACP, who allegedly insisted his statement be recorded first in connection with the case. Taking note of the conflicting claims, the bench appointed advocate A Ramakrishna Reddy as amicus curiae to assist the sanctity of the proceedings and adjourned the matter.