SC/ST Special Court Acquits Gadwal Family in False Caste-Based Complaint Case

Gadwal: The SC/ST Special Court has dismissed a false complaint case and acquitted the accused, upholding their innocence.

The case involved Potula Janardhana Reddy, a retired director from Aija Municipality, and his family, who were accused by his relatives of harassment and caste-based abuse over a property dispute. The dispute originated in May 2010, when Janardhana Reddy began a land pooja at his property located at House No. 7-63/1 in Gurram Thota. Despite an injunction issued by the Gadwal Civil Court regarding the land, his relatives, including his brother Potula Madhusudan Reddy, a Single Window Chairman, and Madhusudan’s wife N.I. Meramma, allegedly attempted to disrupt the ceremony.

Janardhana Reddy filed a police complaint on 7-6-2010. The police investigated and filed a chargesheet against the accused in 2012. In retaliation, Meramma allegedly filed a counter-complaint accusing Janardhana Reddy’s family of caste-based harassment and claiming that Madhusudan Reddy had attempted to attack and kill her husband.

Police investigation, however, found no evidence to support these allegations. Reports submitted to the Gadwal court in 2011 confirmed that no caste-based abuse or violent incident had taken place and that the property in question belonged to the accused, as affirmed by the civil court’s decree. Despite this, Meremma filed protest petitions and private complaints in 2011 and 2012, leading to the case being transferred to the SC/ST Special Court in Mahabubnagar for further investigation in 2018.

After a lengthy investigation, the SC/ST Special Court concluded that the allegations were baseless. The court noted discrepancies in witness statements and found no proof that the accused had committed any crime or caste-based harassment. The court also confirmed that the property in dispute legally belonged to the accused. Consequently, the court acquitted the accused, dismissing the false charges in September 2025.

This verdict reinforces the principle that false accusations, particularly those invoking caste-based offenses, will not be tolerated and protects individuals from malicious legal claims.

Potula Janardhana Reddy and his family have now been officially cleared of all allegations.