Telangana HC stays withdrawal of RS Praveen Kumar’s bullet-proof vehicle
HYDERABAD: The Telangana High Court on June 30 restrained the state government from withdrawing the bullet-proof vehicle allotted to retired IPS officer and Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) general secretary RS Praveen Kumar for at least a week.
Justice Tangirala Madhavi Devi passed the interim order while hearing a writ petition filed by Praveen Kumar. The court directed the Government Pleader for Home to obtain instructions from the state and place its response on record within seven days. It also ordered that the vehicle should remain with the petitioner until the next hearing.
No written order issued, court told
Praveen Kumar, a 1995-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer who took voluntary retirement in 2021, approached the High Court after the government sought to recall the security vehicle provided to him.
Senior counsel Gandra Mohan Rao, appearing for Praveen Kumar, submitted that the decision was conveyed only through a verbal instruction to the driver. He told the court that no written order had been issued and no fresh security assessment had been conducted before the move.
The counsel argued that the government had not followed due process before attempting to withdraw the vehicle.
Counsel cites anti-Naxal service
Seeking continuation of the security cover, the petitioner referred to Praveen Kumar’s service in anti-Naxal operations in the undivided Karimnagar district, once a stronghold of the erstwhile CPI (ML) People’s War Group, which later became the CPI (Maoist).
The counsel argued that Praveen Kumar’s role in countering Left-wing extremism and rehabilitating former Naxalites into mainstream society continued to expose him to security threats. He said the bullet-proof vehicle and security cover should therefore continue.
The proposed withdrawal of the security vehicle had earlier drawn criticism from BRS leaders, including V Srinivas Goud, and the Madiga Reservation Porata Samithi (MRPS). They cited threats faced by Praveen Kumar during his three-decade police career, including an attempt to target the Karimnagar Superintendent of Police office.
Political journey after retirement
After retirement, Praveen Kumar served as secretary of the Telangana Social Welfare Residential Educational Institutions Society (TGSWREIS). He later resigned before the 2023 Assembly elections and joined the Bahujan Samaj Party.
He contested the Sirpur Assembly constituency in 2023, finishing third. He later contested the 2024 Lok Sabha election from Nagarkurnool on a BRS ticket but lost. He was subsequently appointed the party’s general secretary.
The Government Pleader for Home, Mahesh Raje, was directed to file the state’s response. The matter has been posted for further hearing after a week.
