Hyderabad: The Telangana high court on Wednesday granted anticipatory bail to Uppari Suresh, a cooperative bank employee from Wanaparthy district, who is accused in a physical assault case reported from Kothakota in April this year.The accused contended that he is a serving bank employee and that his presence is essential during the ongoing agricultural crop season, as farmers rely on his services for banking operations.Taking note of his employment status and the fact that a substantial portion of the investigation has already been completed, Justice BR Madhusudhan Rao observed that Suresh was entitled to anticipatory bail. The court directed him to appear before the investigating police officer every Sunday for a period of 60 days to cooperate with the investigation.Suresh’s counsel argued that the case was motivated by prior enmity with the complainants and that the allegations, including claims that he attempted to douse the victims with petrol, were false and exaggerated. It was also stated that several people were present at the scene when the alleged incident occurred, and Suresh is willing to comply with all conditions imposed by the court.In response, the assistant public prosecutor submitted that 12 witnesses have been examined so far and forensic reports are still awaited. Given that the case is under active investigation, the prosecutor requested the court not to grant anticipatory bail at this stage.However, the judge said that earlier petitions were rejected solely due to the pending investigation and, considering the present circumstances, found grounds to grant interim relief to the accused.The case pertains to an incident in April, in which Suresh and others allegedly attacked a group of fishermen at a local lake in Kothakota, claiming the fishermen did not have valid permission to fish in the area. The group was allegedly assaulted and threatened with dire consequences during the confrontation.
