Cop in the dock for not filing FIR against P Chidambaram, Sushilkumar Shinde

HYDERABAD: A local court took cognisance of a complaint against a police official for not registering FIRs against union ministers Sushilkumar Shinde and P Chidambaram over allegations that they "cheated" people in Telangana by making "misleading" statements about statehood.

The second metropolitan magistrate's court took cognisance against the station house officer (SHO) of L B Nagar police station under Section 166 (a) of the Indian Penal Code (public servant disobeying the law) and directed the officer to appear before it on June 20.

Cognisance was taken based on a private complaint filed by Telangana Junior Advocates' Association member Naresh Kumar.

On January 28, the court had directed the L B Nagar police to file an FIR, probe the allegations and also file a status report before it by February 14.

In his petition, Kumar had mentioned the statements of Shinde and Chidambaram on the Telangana statehood issue and sought the court's directions to refer the matter to the police for investigation and registration of a case under Section 420 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code.

During the all-party meeting convened by the Centre on Telangana in New Delhi on December 28 last year, Shinde had allegedly claimed that the Telangana issue would be resolved within "a month".

On December 9, 2009, P Chidambaram, who was union home minister at that time, had also allegedly announced initiation of a process to create a Telangana state.

However, on December 23, 2009 Chidambaram allegedly modified the statement, after an agitation in coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions of Andhra Pradesh.

Both the ministers didn't keep their promises and thus cheated the people of Telangana, Kumar's petition contended.