Judicial probe into Raju’s death
The Hindu
Third Metropolitan Magistrate of Warangal to conduct the inquiry
Telangana High Court on Friday ordered a judicial inquiry into the death of Palakonda Raju, suspect in the rape and murder of a minor in Saidabad of Hyderabad, who was found dead on a railway track in Station Ghanpur of Warangal district.
The Third Metropolitan Magistrate of Warangal would conduct the inquiry and present report to Registrar, Judicial of the High Court, within four weeks. A bench of Acting Chief Justice M.S. Ramachandra Rao and Justice T. Amarnath Goud passed these orders, after hearing a PIL petition moved in the form of lunch motion.
The plea was filed by Civil Liberties Committee-Telangana State president Gaddam Laxman. A retired university professor, the petitioner sought a judicial inquiry into Raju’s death, describing it as a ‘meticulously planned and calculated murder by the police’. Hearing the plea after lunch break, the bench issued notices to Principal Home Secretary, DGP, Hyderabad Police Commisisoner, Warangal police and Government Railway Police of Secunderabad.
The election authorities are gearing up for the counting of votes cast in the simultaneous elections to Lok Sabha and Assembly seats in Andhra Pradesh, scheduled to be held on June 4. The Collectors and Election Officers of Visakhapatnam, Anakapalli and Alluri Sitharama Raju (ASR) districts said on May 23 (Thursday) that their teams were ready for the counting of votes.
Responding to the prolonged water scarcity, the residents of the area took to the streets in protest on Wednesday. The protest, which drew attention to their plight, stopped only after the intervention of the police. It was not until 1.30 p.m. that a 4000-litre tanker was finally delivered by BWSSB, providing relief to the water-starved residents.