Supreme Court Upholds Telangana High Court's Dismissal in Reddy Case: A Legal Milestone

The Supreme Court has dismissed an appeal against the Telangana High Court's decision to quash an FIR against Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy. The court found no prima facie evidence to proceed with the case under the SC/ST Act and IPC, emphasizing that political disputes don't belong in courts.

The Supreme Court on Monday upheld the Telangana High Court's decision to quash a 2016 First Information Report (FIR) against Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy. The case involved allegations made under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

A bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant, with Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi, reviewed the high court's detailed examination of the facts and concluded that there was no prima facie case against Reddy. The bench clarified that although this does not absolve the chief minister of all accusations, the high court's stance appeared legally sound in the circumstances.

Senior advocate Siddharth Luthra, representing Reddy, criticized the petitioner, N Peddi Raju, as an 'adventurous litigant.' The original FIR was linked to a land dispute involving the SC Mutually Aided Cooperative Housing Society Limited. The high court, having failed to find evidence connecting Reddy to the alleged offenses, dismissed the case in 2020. The Supreme Court has decided to close contempt proceedings related to scandalous claims made against the high court judge involved.

(With inputs from agencies.)