Hindu seer Paripoornananda on Friday filed three separate petitions in the Hyderabad High Court, challenging the externment orders issued against him by the Hyderabad, Cyberabad and Rachakonda commissionerates.
Paripoornananda was externed from Hyderabad on July 11 shortly after Mahesh Kathi, a film critic, was externed from the city on July 9. He had threatened to take out protests across the state against an alleged statement made by the film critic against a Hindu deity. Both individuals were externed under the Anti-Social and Hazardous Activities Act,1980.
On Friday, the court admitted a petition on the matter, which claimed that the move was 'unconstitutional' as the person who is being expelled must be a 'goonda'.
Following this, the three Commissioners and Telangana's Principal Secretary (Home) were named as the respondents in the case, which is likely to come up for hearing next week.
This came a day after Rajya Sabha MP and BJP leader Subramanian Swamy shot off a strongly-worded letter to Telangana authorities for their decision and threatened legal action if the order is not revoked.
"It is pertinent to note that a person in order to be externed under this section needs to be classified as a goonda. Externing swamiji under this section gives an impression of him being a goonda which is highly insulting, disrespectful and defamatory for a Sanyasi. It is my humble advice to you that you get these orders cancelled else, I will be compelled to take an action in the court and seek damages for the same," Swamy wrote.
However, he did not mention Kathi Mahesh, who was externed under the same Act.
The externment order cited several instances of Paripoornanda making statements promoting enmity between communities.
The police said Paripoornanda, who started an organisation 'Rashtriya Hindu Sena' in November 2017, made provocative remarks at meetings at Hyderabad, Kamareddy and other places in Telangana.