Congress poll strategist in Telangana Sunil Kanugolu on Monday, January 9, appeared before the Hyderabad Police in connection with a case booked against him over alleged derogatory remarks on social media platforms against Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and his family. Sunil appeared before the Cyber Crime Wing of Hyderabad Police after a notice was issued to him under Section 41A of the CrPC (Code of Criminal Procedure) and he was examined on Monday, a senior police official told PTI. "We will call him again, as part of further investigation," the official said.

In a related development, a notice was issued to Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) senior vice president Mallu Ravi under Section 41A of CrPC asking him to appear before the police on January 12 as part of investigations in the case.

The Telangana High Court on January 3 rejected Sunil’s petition seeking to quash the FIR registered against him and also the notice issued under Section 41A of the CrPC. The High Court directed Sunil to appear before the police and cooperate with the investigators, though it ordered the police not to take any coercive action against him.

The Hyderabad Police had raided the office of Sunil’s Inclusive Minds, the political consultancy company working for Congress, in December 2022 in connection with cases registered over alleged derogatory posts in social media against the Chief Minister, his family members and the ruling BRS government. After the raid, three persons working at the office of Sunil were taken into custody, but they were later let off even as police named him as an accused in the case. Subsequently, Sunil had approached the High Court challenging the FIR against him and also the notice.