“The Anantapur district police officials have not registered a complaint against 24 officers of the Transport Department despite our complaint to the Anantapur I Town Police for illegally detaining some of our buses,” alleged Tadipatri Municipal Chairman and TDP leader J.C. Prabhakar Reddy. “The detention of our vehicles is due to the vindictive attitude of the State government towards us,” he said.
“We have approached the Judicial Magistrate of First Class Court, which after examination of our plea has asked the Station House Officer of I Town Anantapur to conduct a detailed investigation into the complaint against a Motor Vehicle Inspector, Anantapur Deputy Transport Commissioner, the Commissioner of Transport, the Joint Transport Commissioner and Secretary (STA) Vijayawada and 20 others for allegedly detaining some vehicles allegedly on frivolous charges,” he said in a statement.
The Judicial Magistrate in his order observed that as per the complainant, he had exhausted all avenues under Section 156 of Cr.P.C. by approaching the police station, and later the Superintendent of Police, and all complaints were prima facie non-cognizable offences, hence an investigation into them was needed, he said.
Mr. Prabhakar Reddy said that earlier the A.P. High Court in a writ petition had taken objection to the detention and seizure of vehicles as all the violations were only compoundable under Sec. 207 of the MV Act. The violations were under sections 3&4, 39, or Sub-Section 1 of Section 66 of the MV Act, Mr. Prabhakar Reddy said.
