The court of Additional Chief Magistrate in Patna on Monday ordered the Andhra Pradesh Police not to take any coercive action for 30 days against 2005 batch IPS officer M Sunil Kumar Naik in connection with the alleged custodial torture case in 2021.
Naik, who is currently Inspector General, Home Guards and Fire Services of Bihar, was produced before the court by a team of Andhra Pradesh CID officials who sought his remand for transfer to Guntur. But the court refused to grant pretrial detention, citing procedural gaps.
Speaking to reporters outside the court premises, Amit Srivastava, Naik’s lawyer, claimed that Andhra Pradesh Police failed to provide a valid arrest warrant and necessary documents related to remand. “After hearing both sides, the court ordered that no coercive action be taken against the officer for 30 days,” he said.
Patna (city) SP Bhanu Pratap Singh said that Andhra Pradesh Police picked up Naik from his official residence around 6 am and later contacted local police to help produce him in court.
“The court noticed procedural lapses and released him. He will not be treated as a detainee,” Singh said.
The case relates to allegations by Andhra Pradesh Assembly Deputy Speaker K Raghu Ramakrishna Raju that he was tortured in custody in May 2021 after his arrest in a sedition case.
Raju, who had won the Narsapuram Lok Sabha seat in 2019 on a YSRCP ticket, turned to the rebels and started criticizing the then Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. Ahead of the 2024 elections, he defected to the TDP and won the assembly elections from Ondi Assembly constituency in West Godavari district. He was later elected Vice President of the Council.
On July 11, 2024, Nagarapalem police in Guntur district registered a case based on his complaint alleging that he was tortured in custody.
Apart from Naik, the police registered an FIR against then Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, former intelligence chief BSR Anjaneyulu, former CID chief BV Sunil Kumar, retired Additional Superintendent of Police Vijay Paul, and then Superintendent of Guntur Government Hospital Dr Neelam Prabhavati.
The case includes charges of criminal conspiracy, attempted murder, forgery and criminal intimidation under various sections of the Islamic Penal Code.
