In a significant legal development, the Telangana High Court has dismissed a criminal case filed against Telugu actor Navdeep Pallapolu, observing that the allegations against him did not make out any recognizable offence.
Court Cites Abuse of Process, Absence of Evidence
Justice J Sreenivas Rao, while delivering the verdict, pointed out the complete lack of evidence against the actor. The court noted that there was no proof of drug possession or any specific criminal acts attributed to Navdeep. Continuing the legal proceedings in such a scenario, the judge ruled, would amount to a clear abuse of the judicial process. Consequently, the criminal petition filed by the actor challenging the case was allowed, effectively clearing him of all allegations.
Background of the Case and Legal Arguments
The case originated from a complaint registered at the Gudimalkapur police station in Hyderabad in the year 2023. Navdeep and others were accused of allegedly consuming and peddling drugs. Following an investigation, a chargesheet was filed before the II Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge at Nampally, which listed the actor as one of the accused.
Arguing for the quashing of the case, Navdeep's counsel, E Venkata Siddhartha, presented a compelling defence. He contended that his client's name was conspicuously absent from the original complaint as well as from all the witness statements recorded by the police. Siddhartha further emphasized that no illegal contraband was ever seized from Navdeep's possession. He asserted that the fundamental elements necessary to charge someone under the stringent Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act were entirely missing in this instance.
The prosecution, on the other hand, opposed the petition, arguing that the question of the actor's guilt or innocence should be determined through a full-fledged trial and not be dismissed at a preliminary stage.
High Court's Scrutiny and Reference to Supreme Court Precedent
After a thorough review of the case records, the High Court made a crucial observation. It found that neither the initial complaint nor the final police report contained any specific allegations against Navdeep. His name merely appeared in a list of accused individuals without any substantive accusations tied to him.
Invoking the principles laid down in the landmark Bhajan Lal judgment by the Supreme Court, Justice Rao underscored that legal proceedings must be quashed when the allegations, even if accepted at face value, do not disclose the commission of an offence. Applying this legal test, the court found no grounds to proceed against the actor and quashed the case in its entirety.
This ruling brings a legal closure to the actor in this particular matter, highlighting the judiciary's role in preventing the misuse of legal machinery when foundational evidence is lacking.
