Hyderabad: Stating that the repercussions of allowing police to meddle with civil disputes would be grave and harmful to society, the Telangana high court recently refused to entertain a writ appeal seeking directions for police to interfere in a civil dispute. The bench of Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice J Sreenivas Rao found no legal infirmity in the order of a single judge in the matter and upheld the order of the single judge.
“Can you imagine the repercussions if police are allowed to intervene in civil matters in Hyderabad?” observed the CJ, while hearing the writ appeal filed by a farmer from Nalgonda district.
The bench, however, allowed the farmer to approach the competent criminal court by filing a private complaint and maintained that ‘the single judge rightly held that the petitioner can avail alternative remedies as available under law.’
The case pertains to a farmer from Damarcherla in Nalgonda district’s complaint that he purchased a plot from a couple in the year 2023 and paid the complete sale amount, but the latter did not execute a registered sale deed in his favour. In May 2024, they trespassed into his house and abused him in filthy language, alleged the farmer. He also alleged that he immediately lodged a complaint with the Miryalaguda I Town police, but they did not take any action.
The farmer then filed a writ petition in the High Court in July 2024, which heard the matter and disposed of it at the admission stage itself, as it was a civil matter.
Challenging the single judge order, the farmer approached a division bench seeking directions, alleging police closed the case mechanically without conducting any enquiry, even without following the procedure, which is contrary to the law. “In such circumstances, learned single judge ought to have directed the respondent authorities to register the FIR and conduct the investigation against respondents (couple),” the petitioner’s counsel contended.
In response, the govt pleader informed the court that police closed the complaint after following the due procedure as the dispute is civil in nature and the single judge rightly disposed of the writ petition.
