Habeas Corpus Petition: Telangana HC orders probe into disappearance of missing couple in Jagadgiri Gutta
Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court has directed state authorities to take immediate action regarding the sudden disappearance of a missing couple allegedly maoists from Srinivasa Colony, Jagadgiri Gutta, on the night of 24 January 2025.
The writ petition, filed by Prof. Gaddam Laxman, President of the Civil Liberties Committee(CLC) Telangana, seeks to clarify the circumstances of the detention of Chandan Misra, reportedly a Maoist, and his wife, Rapaka Swathy.
The petitioner seeks a writ in the nature of Habeas Corpus for a direction on the respondents, the Home Secretary, Secretariat, Hyderabad, State of Telangana, the Director General of Police (DGP), and the Station House Officer (SHO), Jagadgiri Gutta Police Station, Cyberabad police commissionerate, to produce detainees Chandan Misra and Rapaka Swathy, wife of Chandan Misra.
According to the petitioner, persons claiming to be policemen took both individuals from their residence around 9:00-10:00 PM on 24, January,2025. The detainees were apprehended by individuals in plain clothes, and Kranthi, the brother of Rapaka Swathy, served as a key eyewitness to the incident.
Civil Liberties Committee(CLC) raises alarm over sudden detention in Hyderabad suburb
Counsel representing the detainees submits that Rapaka Swathy is a housewife and is not a Maoist, and that the police took both the detainees away more than 24 hours ago. Moreover, Rapaka Swathy is incommunicado, i.e., not traceable on the phone after 10:00 P.M. on 24 January 2025.
The Special Government Pleader, for the respondents, submits that there is no evidence that the persons who took both the detainees away were policemen. The Special Government Pleader further states that Srinivasa Colony, Jagadgiri Gutta, is a congested area and that the writ petition does not provide any particular address of the house from which the authorities took the detainees away. Hence, the police have not been able to locate the house or gathered any information on the incident.
The Special Government Pleader noted that Chandan Misra is reportedly the third accused in a criminal case (Crime No. 30 of 2018) registered in Andhra Pradesh but claimed to have insufficient information about the precise circumstances of the detention.
The Telangana High Court, comprising Justices Moushumi Bhattacharya and Madhusudhan Rao Bobbili Ramaiah, expressed serious concern over the lack of information regarding the detainees’ whereabouts. The court highlighted the fundamental issue of due process, emphasizing that more than 24 hours had elapsed without any official acknowledgment of the detention.
In its order, the court directed the Director General of Police (DGP) to ascertain and trace the whereabouts of both detainees, produce them before the jurisdictional magistrate by 10:30 AM on January 27, 2025, verify the claim of Chandan Misra being the third accused in a 2018 criminal case, obtain specific details about the location of the residence from the eyewitness, and ensure protection for Kranthi.
The court has scheduled a further hearing on January 27, 2025, directing a comprehensive report from state authorities that details the actions taken to locate and ensure the safety of the detainees.
𝐓𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐚 𝐇𝐂 𝐎𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐩𝐥𝐞’𝐬 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞
Telangana High Court has directed state authorities to investigate the sudden disappearance of Chandan Misra, a reportedly Maoist, and his wife, Rapaka Swathy, from… pic.twitter.com/pvJXFxL38b
— Hyderabad Mail (@Hyderabad_Mail) January 26, 2025
