Telangana HC quashes criminal case against CM Revanth Reddy in 2016 land row

Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court on Wednesday quashed a criminal case registered in 2016 against Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, his brother Kondal Reddy, and others over a disputed land issue in Gopannapally, Rangareddy district.

The complaint, filed during Revanth’s tenure as TPCC working president, alleged that the group attempted to encroach upon 31 acres of land belonging to a housing society in Serilingampalli mandal, using threats and verbal abuse, including caste-based insults. Gachibowli police had registered the case under the SC and ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

Revanth’s lawyers contended the charges were politically motivated and not supported by substantive evidence. They pointed out that a second chargesheet had been filed in 2019, even as the trial continued.

The court, which had reserved its judgment on June 20, ruled on Wednesday that the investigation had not placed Revanth at the scene of the alleged incident and found the allegations unsubstantiated.

Counsel for the housing society accused Revanth of leveraging political power to evade legal proceedings. However, the High Court dismissed the criminal case on grounds of insufficient evidence.

The order marks a legal reprieve for the CM in a long-running land dispute case linked to his earlier political career.