Allowed¶44

Mohammed Rafi v. The State of Telangana

Suspect sheet – closure

Telangana HC6 Oct 2025WP/27384/2025

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Case brief

AI extract

What is this about?

Keywords: suspect sheet; rowdy sheet; closure of suspect sheet; no criminal case pending; Article 226 writ petition; Articles 14, 19(1)(e) and 21 of the Constitution of India; passport authorities disclosure; interrogation; Gadwal Town Police Station; Station House Officer; Jogulamba/Jogulampa Gadwal District; State of Telangana; DG Police; W.P.No.27384 of 2025; followed W.P.No.24741 of 2023 dated 13.03.2024; Standing Orders of A.P. Police Manual; Section 151 CPC interim applications; Justice N.V. Shravan Kumar; High Court for the State of Telangana at Hyderabad; decided 06.10.2025.

What did the court decide?

Writ petition allowed; respondent police directed to close the suspect sheet/rowdy sheet opened against the petitioner; miscellaneous applications, if any pending, to stand closed; no order as to costs. ¶44

Mohammed Rafi Vs The State of Telangana — Writ and Judicial Review | Telangana HC (2025)

What the court decided

AI extract

Outcome

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Issue for consideration

Whether the action of Respondent No.4 in opening and maintaining a suspect sheet against the petitioner, when no criminal case is pending against him, is illegal, arbitrary and violative of Articles 14, 19(1)(e) and 21 of the Constitution of India, and whether Respondent No.4 should be directed to close the suspect sheet and refrain from harassing the petitioner.

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Court's answer

Recording the submissions of learned counsel on either side and in terms of the orders passed in W.P.No.24741 of 2023 dated 13.03.2024, this writ petition is allowed and the respondent police are directed to close the suspect sheet/rowdy sheet opened against the petitioner.

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Key takeaways

It is needless to observe that if the petitioner involves in any crime in future and if there is any sufficient material to establish that his movements are required to be prevented, the respondents-police are at liberty to take action against him strictly in accordance with the Standing Orders of A.P. Police Manual.obiter¶43

Detailed headnote1 paragraphs

Suspect sheet - closure - writ petition under Article 226 of the Constitution of India by a resident of Gadwal challenging the opening and maintenance of a suspect sheet against him by Respondent No.4, the Station House Officer, Gadwal Town Police Station, allegedly on 26.08.2022, of which he learnt on 10.01.2024 from the passport authorities, though no criminal case is pending against him; relief sought on grounds of violation of Articles 14, 19(1)(e) and 21 of the Constitution of India, with interim applications under Section 151 CPC seeking that the police not harass him and that the suspect sheet be suspended. Counsel for the petitioner relied on this Court's earlier order in W.P.No.24741 of 2023 dated 13.03.2024, wherein maintenance of a suspect sheet against a person against whom no criminal case is pending was held not proper and closure was directed; the learned Assistant Government Pleader for Home did not dispute the submission. Allowing the writ petition in terms of that earlier order, the Court directed the respondent police to close the suspect sheet/rowdy sheet opened against the petitioner, observing that if he involves in any crime in future and sufficient material establishes that his movements are required to be prevented, the police are at liberty to take action strictly in accordance with the Standing Orders of A.P. Police Manual. Miscellaneous applications, if any pending, to stand closed; no order as to costs.

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t I II t. I t '.l--

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IN THE HIGH COURT FOR THE STATE^{OF TELANGANA} AT HYDERABAD (SPecial Original Jurisdiction)

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MONDAY, THE SIXTH^{DAY OF OCTOBER} TWO THOUSAND AND TWENTY^FIVE

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PRESENT

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THE HONOURABLE SRI^{JUSTICE N.V.SHRAVAN KUMAR}

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WRIT PETITION NO: 27384^{OF 2025}

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Between:

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Mohammed Rafi, S/o^{Allabakash,Aged30 years, Occ: R/o. H.No. 6-6-96/32} Momin Mohalla, Gadwal^{District, Telangana State.}

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...PETITIONER

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AND:I

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The State of Telangana,^{Rep. By its Principal Secretary, Home Department,} Telanagana Secretariat,^Hyderabad.

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Z. The Direclor General^{of Police,For the state of Telangana,Police State Head} Quarters, Hyderabad

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The Superdntendent of^{Police, Jogulampa Gadwal District, SP Office,HB} Colony, Gadwal^{District, Telangana State, lndia.}

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The Station House Officer,^{GadwalTownPolice Station, RailwayStation} 'Coad, Gadwal Gunj, Nallakunta,^{Gadwal, Telangana State,lndia'}

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petition under Article 226 of the Constitution of lndia praying that in the circumstances stated in^{the affidavit filed therewith,the High Court maybe} pleased to issue an appropriate Writ,^{order or direction more particularlyone in} the nature of Writ of^{Mandamusdeclaring the action RespondentNo.4in opening} and maintaining suspect^{sheet againstthe petitioneras illegal, arbitrary and in -'} violation of Article^{14, 19 (1) (e) and 21 of the Constitution of lndia, consequently} direct the Respondent^{No.4 to ctose the suspectsheet against the petitionerand} Further this Hon'ble^{Court maY be} nlJased to direct the Respondent^{No.4 herein} to not harass the Petitioner^herein. I

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lA NO: 1OF 2(t25

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Petition under Section 151 CPC praying that in the circumstances stated in the affidavit filed in support of the petition, the High Court may be^pleased to direct the Respondent No.4 herein to not harass and not to insist for Petitioners presence in the Police Station of Respondent No.4 in connection with the suspect sheet maintaired against the Petitioner pending disposal of the writ petition.

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lA NO: 2 OF 2r)25

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Petition under Section 151 CPC praying that in the circumstances stated in the affidavit filed in support of the petition, the High Court may be pleased to suspend the Suspect Sheet pending before the Respondent No.4 against the Petitioner herr:in pending disposal of the writ petition.

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Counselfor tlre Petitioner: SRI SHAIK MUHAMMED ABED

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Counsel for tlre Respondents: AGP FOR HOME

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The Court made the following: ORDER

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:.j!i^{.":.dti+:;rri:r} . r,: ..:.. ...^.

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THE HONOURABLE SRI JUSTICE N.V.SHRAVAN KUMAR

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WRIT PETITION 0.27384 of 2o25

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ORDER

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Heard learned counsel for the petitioner and learned Assistant Government Pleader for Home " appearing for respondents. With their consent this writ petition is taken up for disposal at the admission stage itself.

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This writ petition is filed seeking following prayer:-

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"...declaring the action Respondent No.4 in opening and maintaining suspect sheet against the petittoner as illegal arbttrary^q"nd in uiolation of Articles 74, 19(1)(e) and 21 of the Constitution of India consequentlg direct the Respondent No.4 to close the suspect slrcet against the petitioner and FurtLrcr this Hon'ble Court maA bq pleased to direct the Respondent No.4 .Lrcrein to not harq.ss th.e Petitioner herein.'

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The facts of the case in brief as stated are that a false suspect sheet was opened against the petitioner on 26.A8.2022 by respondent No.4 and the petitioner came to know about^the same on 10.0L.2024, when the passport authorities informed^the same. It is the further case of the petitioner that on^19.08 .2022, petitioner was called to the respondent No.4 Police Station for interrogation. The main grievance of the petitioner is that though the petitioner informed the respondent Police that he is not involved in any kind of unlarn{ul or illegal activities, a suspect b .

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sheet vras opened against the petitioner by respondent No.4. Questioning^{the sarne,the presentwrit petition is filed.}

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Today when the matter has been taken up for hearing, learned counsel for the petitioner submits that in similar circum:;tance this Court in W.P.No.2 i+Z t of 2023 dated 13.03.2',024 has allowed the writ petition with the following directicns:-

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" 12. In uiew of the aboue and inasmuch as in catena of cases, the Courts are consistentlg directing the police to maintain the roudy sheet as per the Standing Orders of A.P. Police Manual, this Court fs of the opinion that the action of the respondents police in maintaining the suspect sheet agairyst the petitioner eL,en though no crtminal case is pending against him cc,.nnot be said to be proper.

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Therefore, tfle respondents police are directed to close the suspect s?rcet/rowdg sheet opened against the petitioner. tt is needless to obserue that if the pcztitioner inuolues in ang crime in fufire and if there is ang sufficient material to estqblish thnt his mouements are required to be preuented, *Le respondents-police are at libertg to take action against him strictlg in at:cordance with tLLe Standing Orders of A.P. Police IV'anual.

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Accordinglg,''thi3 Writ Petition is allowed. Tlrcre sil,all be no order as to costs"

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l,earned counsel for the petitioner pray this Court to pass similar orders as passed in W.P.No.2747l of 2023 dated 13.o3.2024.

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l,earned Assistant Government Pleader for Home appearing for respondents did not dispute the same.

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a^{7 .} Recording the submission made by the learned^counsel appearing on either side and in^{terms of orders passed in} w.P.No.2474l of 2023 dated 13.03.2024,^{this writ petition is} allowed and the respondent^{police are directed to close the} suspect sheet/rowdy sheet opened against the^{petitioner.It is} needless to observe that if the petitioner^{involvesin any crime in} future and if there is any sufficient material^{to establishthat his} movements are required to be^{prevented, the respondents-police} are at liberty to take'action against him^{strictly in accordance} with the Standing Orders of A.P. Police^Manual.