IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE, ANDHRA PRADESH AT HYDERABAD FRIDAY, THE TWENTY SECOND DAY OF JANUARY TWO THOUSAND AND TEN PRESENT: HONOURABLE SRI JUSTICE P. SWAROOP REDDY CRIMINAL PETITION No.424 OF 2010 Between: M. Seetarami Reddy & 10 others ……Petitioners – Accused Nos.1 to 11 AND The State through the Sub Inspector of Police, Gudur Police Station, Kurnool District, Rep. by the Public Prosecutor, High Court of A.P., Hyderabad & another .....Respondents HONOURABLE SRI JUSTICE P. SWAROOP REDDY CRIMINAL PETITION No.424 OF 2009 ORDER: This Criminal Petition under Section 482 Cr.P.C. is filed by the petitioners, accused Nos.1 to 11 respectively, seeking to quash the proceedings against them in Crime No.94 of 2009 of Gudur Police Station, Kurnool District, registered for the offences under Sections 335 IPC and 3(1)(x) of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989. 2. Heard. 3. T h e de facto complainant, respondent No.2, who is Sarpanch of the village, gave the impugned complaint against the petitioners alleging that during inspection of works in the village, he was abused and attacked by them. 4. The contention of the learned counsel for the petitioners is that there were allegations of misappropriation against the de facto complainant about which a complaint was given and the Panchayat Officer came for enquiring into the matter and found irregularities, as such, as a counter blast to the complaint made against him, he filed the false complaint. 5. Petitioner No.11 Harijana Budida Hanumanthu himself is a person belonging to the Scheduled Castes and he alleged to have repeatedly beaten the de facto complainant with chappal (slipper). 6. In the circumstances, it is directed that investigation and consequential steps on the basis of result of the investigation shall go on, but the petitioners shall not be arrested till filing of charge sheet, if any. 7. With the above directions, the Criminal Petition is disposed of at the admission stage itself. ____________________ P. SWAROOP REDDY, J January 22, 2010. PV