HC notice to govt on Paripoornananda's externment

The Hyderabad High Court on Monday directed the principal secretary, home of the department, to place the records before it by Tuesday pertaining to the externing of Paripoornananda Swamy, founder of Sri Peetham of Kakinada from the city.

Justice A. Rajasheker Reddy was dealing with three separate petitions questioning the validity of the orders passed by the police commissioners of Hyderabad, Rachakonda and Cyberabad on July 10, 14 and 15 externing the pontiff from the city for a period of six months under the Telangana Prevention of Anti Social and Hazardous Act 1980.

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

The externment orders were illegal and suffered from want of jurisdiction, Mr Prakash Reddy said. Mr J. Ramachandra Rao, additional advocate general, told the court that the authorities had passed the orders to extern the petitioner with a view to maintaining public order in accordance with the law.

The pontiff had been placed under house arrest and later externed ahead of his plan to take a padayatra to the Yadadri temple to protest remarks made by film critic and Tollywood actor Kathi Mahesh in a TV show which allegedly showed disrespect to Lord Rama. Some 70 persons were arrested for protesting the house arrest of the pontiff.