Nerella case: SP, SI told to file counters

HYDERABAD: A division bench of the High Court on Tuesday asked the Sircilla district superintendent of police and the sub-inspector, who has already been placed under suspension, to file their counter affidavits in the case regarding the Nerella police torture. The bench also directed the principal secretary (home) to file a comprehensive counter affidavit, including those filed earlier, in the case.

The bench of acting chief justice Ramesh Ranganathan and justice M Ganga Rao was dealing with a PIL filed by Gaddam Laxman, president of Civil Liberties Committee, seeking a CBI probe into the incident and stringent action against the police who tortured the victims.

The petitioner held the SP and SI responsible for the incident in which “eight innocent Dalits and backward community people were subjected to police brutality”. When the matter came up for hearing, the counsels appearing for SP and SI urged HC to grant permission to file counter affidavits.