HYDERABAD: The Telangana High Court dealt a major blow to suspended police inspector U. Srinivasulu Reddy today, September 11, by dismissing his anticipatory bail petition in connection with a high-profile sexual harassment and extortion case. The court’s rejection paves the way for law enforcement agencies to accelerate legal and investigative proceedings against the former Station House Officer (SHO) of the Jubilee Hills police station.
The case traces back to a complaint lodged by a married IT professional who had originally approached Reddy for assistance with personal family disputes in December 2021, during his tenure as the CI of Ameenpur Police Station in Sangareddy district. The victim alleged that the officer subsequently misused his official authority to force her into a relationship through threats and coercion. She further accused Reddy of establishing physical relations under duress, capturing personal videos without her consent, and systematically blackmailing her to extort large sums of money—allegedly over ₹1 crore—by threatening to leak her private media.
After the victim directly petitioned senior police officials and Director General of Police (DGP) C.V. Anand with documentary evidence and video records, a departmental probe was initiated. The internal inquiry committee concluded that the allegations of misconduct, extortion, and harassment were prima facie true. Following these findings, Hyderabad City Police Commissioner V.C. Sajjanar placed Srinivasulu Reddy under official suspension in late July.
Fearing imminent arrest as criminal investigations deepened, the suspended inspector approached the High Court seeking pre-arrest bail. However, upon evaluating the severity of the charges, the nature of the evidence presented, and the misuse of official power by a senior law enforcement officer, the High Court declined to grant protection from arrest and dismissed the application. With the dismissal of the petition, investigating officers are expected to proceed with further custodial interrogation and legal action.
