CM KCR directs DGP to withdraw UAPA case against Prof Haragopal, 151 others

HYDERABAD: Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao on Saturday asked DGP Anjani Kumar to immediately withdraw the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) case against retired Professor of University of Hyderabad G Haragopal and 151 others.

The case was registered in August 2022 by the Tadvai Police in Mulugu district under Sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 124-A (sedition), and 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Section 3(2) of the UAPA.

The FIR alleged that the accused were planning to attack officials, destroy government property, recruit tribal youth, terrorise innocent people, and raise funds for the Maoists. However, Professor Haragopal and others have denied the allegations and said that they are being targeted for their social and political activities.

Though the Tadvai Police in the Mulugu district had registered the case last year, it came to light only on Thursday, June 15, when People’s Democratic Movement (PDM) President, Chandramouli, approached the LB Nagar court in the Ranga Reddy district. Based on Chandramouli’s appeal, the court asksd the officials concerned to furnish all the FIRs filed against him. The police presented an FIR that named 152 individuals as accused under various sections, including the UAPA.

Prominent among those named in the FIR, apart from Prof Haragopal, were Prof Padmaja Shaw, retired professor of Journalism in Osmania University (OU), Telangana Civil Liberties Committee President Prof Gaddam Laxman, Indian Association of People’s Lawyers’ Justice (Retd) H Suresh, activist Sudha Bhardwaj, human rights lawyer Surendra Gadling, and activist Arun Ferreira.

The case had evoked widespread criticism from civil rights groups and activists, who have accused the police of misusing the UAPA to silence dissent. Following the Chief Minister's order, the DGP said that the dropping of the UAPA cases was “under consideration”.

However, the revocation of the cases was yet to be formalised. National secretary of the Communist Party of India K Narayana welcomed the decision of the Chief Minister to rescind the charges and lift the cases against them.