The Telangana High Court recently dismissed a criminal petition, affirming a revisional court’s decision to overturn a lower magistrate’s order. This crucial ruling means two police officers will not face trial for the fatal shooting of a man attempting a robbery in Zaheerabad 22 years ago, as the court deemed their actions an act of private defense.
Justice Juvvadi Sridevi, presiding over the High Court, stated that there were no sufficient grounds to challenge the revisional court’s earlier ruling. Court records detail that on the night of May 20-21, 2003, then police officer P. Sreedhar Reddy (now a Deputy Superintendent of Police) and constable N. Gopal (along with other colleagues) were on patrol with other colleagues. They received intelligence about a series of shop break-ins in Zaheerabad.
Upon entering a grocery store, they encountered Mohammed Shafi, one of the alleged offenders. Shafi reportedly snatched Constable Gopal’s rifle, prompting DSP Sreedhar Reddy to fire four rounds, resulting in Shafi’s death. A subsequent magisterial inquiry concluded that Reddy’s actions were in self-defense, justified, and not excessive.
Despite this, Lateef Mohammed Khan filed a protest complaint, leading to a CID inquiry that also upheld the police officer’s claim of private defense. Undeterred, Mohammed Khan filed a protest petition with the Zaheerabad Judicial Magistrate of First Class court. This court initially ordered the issuance of process (summons or warrants) against the DSP and the constable, indicating sufficient grounds to proceed with a case.
However, the two police personnel appealed to the Revisional Court (Principal Sessions Judge at Medak, Sangareddy), which subsequently set aside the magistrate’s order. Mohammed Khan then escalated the matter to the High Court with this criminal petition, seeking to quash the revisional court’s decision and direct a murder trial against the DSP and constable.
In her final order, Justice Sridevi emphasized that there was no credible evidence on record to suggest a prima facie case of murder against the two policemen. Instead, the available evidence strongly indicated that the incident occurred under circumstances of private defense while the officers were carrying out their official duties. The High Court’s decision brings a potential end to the legal battle surrounding the incident after more than two decades.