The Andhra Pradesh High Court on Thursday granted bail to Telangana Rashtra Samithi politburo member Cheruku Sudhakar, who was detained for 12 months under the National Security Act, 1980.
Responding to a petition filed by Cheruku Sudhakar's wife Lakshmi, stating that her husband was detained illegally, a division bench consisting of Justice Gopal Reddy and Justice Kantha Rao granted bail and took serious note of the misuse of the National Security Act.
The bench termed Cheruku Sudhakar's detention under the NSA as "illegal", and called it a violation of human rights. It directed the authorities to release him on bail immediately.
Challenging the act, Cheruku Sudhakar's counsel Bharath Reddy argued that police had slapped the Prevention Of Detention Act and the National Security Act on Telangana activists who were agitating for statehood.
He described the cases as a violation of human rights, and said they were aimed at diluting the statehood agitation.
As per the Act, the counsel argued, the authorities must send him to custody for 3 months first and then later for 12 months.
The counsel further said that the authorities must send a comprehensive report on Cheruku Sudhakar to the Centre about the conditions under which he was booked under the National Security Act.
Arguing that the authorities have totally misused the act and violated all basic principles, he appealed to the court to sanction bail for Cheruku Sudhakar immediately.
After hearing the arguments, the court directed the authorities to release him on bail. The court asked the government to review the case under the Act. (INN)