The Telangana High Court has recently issued a clear directive against a senior police officer of the state, ordering him to stop interfering in an individual’s financial and civil disputes.
The ruling was delivered by Justice N Tukaramji on September 1 in response to a writ filed by a 40-year-old farmer from Nizamabad named Koneru Suresh Babu, seeking protection from harassment.
The petitioner alleged that Venkateshwar Rao, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) of Bodhan, Nizamabad (Respondent No. 3), was using his authority to pressure him into settling financial accounts. Babu argued that these matters were strictly civil in nature and outside the jurisdiction of the police.
In court, the Police Department, through the Assistant Government Pleader, denied the accusations entirely, stating the DSP had “never interfered” in the civil disputes and asked for the petition to be dismissed.
However, after considering the claims from both sides, the court ruled that it was necessary to address the petitioner’s concerns and reaffirm the legal limits on police action. Justice Tukaramji made strong remarks, directly instructing the officer to back away from the private matter.
The judge specifically ordered that the police officer: “shall not, in any manner, compel or insist upon the settlement of such disputes, save and except in strict accordance with law.” The court further directed Respondent No. 3 to refrain from involving himself in any disputes of the petitioner that are civil in nature.
the court disposed of the writ petition with these firm instructions confirming the legal limitations on police involvement in purely civil conflicts.
