Hans News Service Hyderabad

TheHigh Court is set to hear a criminal petition filed by former Tandur MLA and Bharat Rashtra Samithi member Panjugula Rohit Reddy, alias Pilot Rohit Reddy, seeking regular bail in connection with a multi-offence case registered at the Moinabad Police Station. The petitioner, designated as Accused No. 2 in Crime No. 150 of 2026, filed the application on Wednesday following the dismissal of his previous bail plea by the X Additional District and Sessions Judge, Ranga Reddy District, on April 7.

The underlying charges involve alleged violations of Sections 8(c), 22(a), 27, and 29 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, alongside various provisions of the Arms Act, 1959, the Telangana Excise Act, 1968, and relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. The prosecution’s case stems from a raid conducted at the petitioner’s farmhouse, where he was allegedly found in the company of family and friends in possession of narcotics, psychotropic substances, and liquor.

In his petition, Rohit Reddy contends that while he and two others were remanded to judicial custody, several other co-accused were merely served notices under Section 35(3) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and subsequently released. The petitioner has been incarcerated at the Central Prison, Chanchalguda, since March 15 and argues that his continued detention is unnecessary given that police custody has been granted on multiple occasions and the primary investigation is now complete. Challenging the severity of the charges, the petitioner asserts that the contraband seized amounted to only 0.2 grams of cocaine, which he classifies as a minimal quantity that does not warrant the gravity of the NDPS Act invoked by the police. Furthermore, the petition disputes the inclusion of the Arms Act, maintaining that no firearms were discharged and that the remand report fails to provide the requisite legal ingredients to establish such an offense. Asserting his status as a former public representative, Reddy maintains there is no risk of him absconding and has offered an undertaking to cooperate fully with the ongoing investigation. The matter is expected to be listed shortly before a Single Judge bench for adjudication.