Court remands former MLA Balka Suman to judicial custody

Hyderabad: Former BRS party MLA Balka Suman suffered a major setback following controversial remarks he allegedly made regarding Singareni company offices. In connection with this case, the court remanded Balka Suman to judicial custody for 14 days. Subsequently, the police shifted him to Chanchalguda Jail. The Nampally police arrested Balka Suman on Saturday after he allegedly made controversial statements calling for the destruction of the Singareni assets. Immediately following his arrest, he was produced before a magistrate.

High drama unfolded during Balka Suman’s arrest. Inside Telangana Bhavan, the BRS party activists and lawyers engaged in heated arguments with the police while the arrest was being carried out. Balka Suman’s lawyers and the BRS party representatives questioned as to how an individual could be arrested without prior notice? The police clarified that since the sections invoked against Balka Suman pertained to non-bailable offenses, there was no legal requirement to issue a prior notice.

A case was registered against Balka Suman under Sections 326(g), 351(3), 353(1)(b) read with 55 and 61(2)(a) of the BNS and Section 4 of the PDPPA Act. After taking him into custody and interrogating him for approximately six hours, the Nampally police shifted him to the Government Hospital in King Koti to conduct medical examinations. Subsequently, the police produced Balka Suman before a magistrate at the latter’s residence in Himayat Nagar.

However, prior to this, the magistrate expressed severe displeasure after the police reportedly forgot to bring the copy of the FIR. He questioned as to how the police could seek a remand without an FIR. Subsequently, following a request from the police, the judge agreed to have the FIR printed and to affix an attested signature to it.

Speaking to the media prior to his arrest, Balka Suman alleged that Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and Minister Vivek had hatched a conspiracy to send him to jail and that the harassment he was currently facing was a direct result of that plot. He stated that those in power intended to derive sadistic pleasure from incarcerating him while adding that these events were reminiscent of the days of the Emergency imposed by the Congress rulers in the past. He affirmed that, as a law-abiding citizen, he would cooperate with the police. He further clarified that he had not fled anywhere and was, in fact, attending a party program.