Hyderabad, September 2026 : In a setback to the Telangana government, a city court on Tuesday rejected the police request for judicial remand of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLCs Tata Madhusudan, popularly known as Madhu, and N Naveen Kumar Reddy, who were arrested over alleged derogatory and abusive remarks against Telangana Legislative Assembly Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar.
The two legislators were arrested from their respective residences in Hyderabad in the morning and later produced before the Nampally Court after undergoing a medical examination at a government hospital. Police had sought their judicial custody in connection with the case registered against them following the alleged remarks made during a BRS protest at the Assembly premises on Monday.
After hearing arguments presented by both the prosecution and the defence, the court rejected the police remand report, observing that there were no sufficient grounds at that stage to send the legislators to judicial custody. The court subsequently ordered their release after directing them to furnish personal bonds of Rs 10,000 each.
Welcoming the court's decision, Tata Madhu said the ruling demonstrated that justice had prevailed. He alleged that Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy's government had attempted to send the BRS legislators to jail by filing what he described as a false case. Madhu thanked BRS president and former chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao for standing by the arrested legislators and also expressed gratitude to the legal team that represented them.
Following their release, Madhu and Naveen Kumar Reddy visited the Telangana Legislative complex and met BRS working president K T Rama Rao.
Earlier in the day, police arrested Madhu from his residence at the New MLA Quarters, while Naveen Kumar Reddy was taken into custody from his residence in Kokapet. The arrests triggered protests by BRS workers, who gathered outside the Narayanguda Police Station. Police detained several protesters and shifted them to different police stations.
The arrests stem from an incident at the Assembly entrance on Monday, when BRS MLAs and MLCs staged a protest after being stopped by security personnel and police from entering the premises while wearing black T-shirts carrying slogans. During the protest, Madhu and Naveen Kumar Reddy allegedly made objectionable remarks against Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar.
The case was registered on the basis of a complaint filed by Pollepalli Venkatesham, Officer on Special Duty to the Assembly Speaker. According to the complaint, the Speaker, who belongs to the Scheduled Caste (Madiga) community, was allegedly intentionally insulted, humiliated and demeaned in public view in the presence of journalists, electronic media personnel, Assembly staff and security personnel.
The complaint further alleged that the remarks were made with knowledge of the Speaker's social background and were intended to lower his personal dignity and constitutional position.
Based on the complaint, Saifabad Police registered a case under Section 352 read with Section 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, including Sections 3(1)(r), 3(2)(va) and 3(2)(vii).
The court's decision to reject the remand plea has provided temporary relief to the two BRS legislators and is likely to intensify the political confrontation between the ruling Congress and the opposition BRS in Telangana. The case is expected to remain a key point of contention between the two parties in the coming days.
