The Telangana High Court on Tuesday granted conditional bail to former MLA and BRS leader Pilot Rohith Reddy in connection with an alleged drug and firing case at his Moinabad farmhouse.
A bench of Justice K Sujana stated that considering the allegations against him, the small quantity of drugs seized, his incarceration since March 15, and the completion of substantial custodial interrogation, the court was inclined to grant regular bail to the petitioner.
Justice Sujana directed Rohith to execute a personal bond of Rs 25,000 with two sureties of the same amount. He must appear before the concerned SHO between 9 am and 5 pm every Wednesday for eight weeks or until the filing of the charge sheet, whichever is earlier, for investigation purposes. He must also surrender his passport to the trial court and not leave the court's jurisdiction without prior permission.
Petitioner's counsel TS Anirudh Reddy argued that Rohith was falsely implicated and cited parity with other accused who were released on notice. He contended that the Arms Act and major drug charges do not apply, as no firearm or contraband was recovered from him. Having been in custody since March 15 and with the primary investigation complete, he urged the court to grant bail.
Public Prosecutor Palle Nageshwar Rao opposed bail, arguing that the petitioner, as the kingpin and organiser of the alleged drug party and owner of the farmhouse, instigated another accused to fire at police.
The judge, after examining the record, noted that the firing was allegedly done in the air. The petitioner also relied on a statement by the Eagle Team stating that there was no attack on the police by either the petitioner or the other accused who allegedly fired in the air.
The court further noted that the contraband allegedly seized from the petitioner was of small quantity and that there was no previous drugs case against him, though it was alleged that he consumed and supplied drugs regularly.
