: The Resident Editor of The Hindu newspaper here S Nagesh Kumar today appeared before the local police for completing the formalities of anticipatory bail after a case was booked against him in connection with a news report published in the daily on a meeting between state DGP V Dinesh Reddy and a local spiritual leader.
Kumar went to Panjagutta police station along with a team of advocates to submit the surety bonds and other necessary documents for completing the bail formalities.
However, the police personnel at station did not receive the fixed deposit receipts and surety bonds stating that Station House Officer N Tirupathi Rao was on leave, a release from The Hindu said tonight.
About 50 journalists including leaders of Indian Journalists Union, AP Working Journalists Federation and AP Press Photographers Association met the Deputy Commissioner of Police (West Zone) V Satyanarayana and Assistant Commissioner of Police D Venkata Narsiah in this regard and expressed their strong resentment over the police attitude in not receiving the surety bonds, it said.
They also registered their protest with the senior police officials for not deputing another police officer in the absence of the SHO when they had come with all the relevant papers, two sureties and original fixed deposit receipts.
They alleged that this may be a ploy to delay the completion of the bail formalities and harass Kumar, according to the release.
However, the DCP said that the allegations against the police were not correct.
"The allegations are not correct. The Investigating Officer of the case is on leave. Substantive evidence was not collected for arresting him (RE) and in the meanwhile, he got anticipatory bail.
"We will fulfill the AP High Court directives and bail formalities will be completed tomorrow," Satyanarayana said.
The AP High Court had on September 20 granted anticipatory bail to Kumar after a case was booked against him under different sections of IPC on September 17.
