HC suspends externment orders against seer

In a relief to Swami Paripoornananda, the Hyderabad High Court today suspended the externment orders issued against the head of the Sri Peetham of Kakinada from the city for six months.

Justice A Rajasheker Reddy passed the interim order while dealing with three separate petitions.

The pleas questioned the validity of the orders passed by the police commissioners of Hyderabad, Rachakonda and Cyberabad last month externing the seer from the city for six months under the Telangana Prevention of Anti-Social and Hazardous Act, 1980.

Swami Paripoornananda was externed on July 10 from the city for six months for allegedly making provocative speeches targeting other communities and their leaders.

Subsequently, Swami's legal adviser Padmarao Lakkaraju filed a plea in the high court, challenging the externment orders.

D Prakash Reddy, senior counsel for the Swami, has contended that externing the petitioner under the Act amounted to infringement of the fundamental rights.

The BJP's Telangana unit reacted strongly to the ban order and demanded that the ruling TRS immediately revoke it.

The party's elected representatives and leaders had also met Governor ESL Narasimhan on the issue.

The VHP and the Bajrang Dal had also held road blockades and protests across the state demanding revocation of the externment orders.