Avula Raghu Ramaiah Vs The State of Andhra… — Writ and Judicial Review | Andhra Pradesh HC (2026)

Avula Raghu Ramaiah Vs The State of Andhra… — Writ and Judicial Review | Andhra Pradesh HC (2026)

What the court decided

AI extract

Outcome

Dismissed

Issue for consideration

Whether the inaction of the Official Respondents in registering a criminal case on the petitioners' written complaints (from 7.8.209 till 9.10.2019) against Unofficial Respondent No.6 and the caste elders led by him — who allegedly declared Petitioners 1 to 4 and their families OUT CASTE, denied them residence, essential commodities, fishing and cultivation of their own agricultural lands, damaged electricity and drinking-water connections and imposed a Julmana of Rs 3,00,000 — was completely illegal, unlawful and highly arbitrary and against the fundamental rights guaranteed under Articles 14 and 21, warranting a writ of mandamus to register the case, cancel the Julmana and issue guidelines to end social outcasting by caste elders among the Pattapu fishermen communities.

Court's answer

Since the F.I.R. whose non-registration was the subject of the writ petition had been registered vide Crime No.78 of 2019 pending the writ petition, and recording the submission of the learned Assistant Government Pleader for Home that no further orders were required, the Court dismissed the writ petition as infructuous, with no order as to costs.

Ratio / Principle

As a sequel to the dismissal of the writ petition, interlocutory applications, if any, pending in the writ petition stand closed.

Detailed headnote1 paragraphs

Writ Petition No.19900 of 2019 (APHC010413162019), High Court of Andhra Pradesh at Amaravati (Special Original Jurisdiction), single bench — the Honourable Sri Justice B.V.L.N. Chakravarthi; decided Thursday, 05.02.2026. Filed by five petitioners — Avula Raghu Ramaiah, Avula Simhachalamh, Avula Simhadri and Avula Manohar (Pattapu fishermen of Ponnapudi Lakshmipuram village, Vidavalur Mandal, SPSR Nellore District) and Vayala Settaiah @ Chitti Babu (founder-president, AP Sea Coastal Traditional Fishermen Samithi) — seeking a writ of mandamus under Article 226 declaring illegal, unlawful and arbitrary the inaction of the Official Respondents (State of Andhra Pradesh, District Collector, Superintendent of Police, Tahsildar Vidavalur Mandal and SHO Vidavalur Police Station) in registering a criminal case on their written complaints from 7.8.209 till 9.10.2019 against Unofficial Respondent No.6 (Komari Prabhakar, ex-Gram Sarpanch) and the caste elders led by him, who allegedly declared Petitioners 1 to 4 and their families OUT CASTE, denied them residence in their own homes, damaged electricity connection wires and drinking water pipes, withheld essential commodities, fishing and cultivation of their own agricultural lands, and imposed a Julmana of Rs 3,00,000; the prayer invoked Articles 14 and 21, sought registration of a case, cancellation of the Julmana, assurance of equal right to life, and guidelines to end social outcasting by caste elders among the Pattapu fishermen communities. IA No.1 of 2019 (under Section 151 CPC) sought police protection for Petitioners 1 to 4 and their families and access to return to their village pending disposal. Counsel: D Suresh Kumar for the petitioners; GP for Home (AP) and GP for Revenue (AP) for the respondents. At adjudication none appeared for the petitioners (matter posted under caption 'for dismissal'; no representation on the previous adjournment either); Sri R.Mallikarjuna Rao, learned Assistant Government Pleader for Home, submitted that an F.I.R. had been registered vide Crime No.78 of 2019 pending the writ petition and no further orders were required. Recording that submission, the Court dismissed the writ petition as infructuous with no order as to costs, and pending interlocutory applications stood closed. No precedent cases were cited and no substantive adjudication was made of the outcasting allegations or the Julmana.