File photo of former vice-chancellor of the University of Hyderabad Podile Appa Rao.
Justice E.V. Venugopal of Telangana High Court on Friday disposed of the writ petition filed by former vice-chancellor of the University of Hyderabad Podile Appa Rao, seeking a direction to quash the First Information Report (issued by Gachchibowli police of Cyberabad in connection with the suicide of a student Rohith Vemula) as the case became infructuous.
Already, the Cyberabad police filed a report before the bench of E.V. Venugopal stating that Rohith Vemula did not belong to a Scheduled Caste community. According to the police report filed in the HC, the student belonged to Vaddera community, a Backward Class-A community. In their report, the police stated the revenue authorities conducted an inquiry into the caste of the student, who was pursuing Ph.D. programme and ended life on the University campus following his suspension from the campus along with four others.
Protests erupted over Rohith Vemula’s death accusing the officials, government and a section of political leaders of partisan attitude and anti-Dalit approach. The Gachchibowli police registered a criminal case over Rohith Vemula’s death. Recently, they filed a memo in trial court stating that they would like to close the case against the persons in the FIR for lack of evidence.
In the backdrop of the police memo in the trial court that there was no evidence to pursue the case, the relief sought by Mr. Appa Rao through his writ petition did not survive as the police decided to close the case. Any party aggrieved with the decision of the police can file a memo in the trial court by filing a protest petition questioning the decision of the police to close the case.
