IPS probationer K V Maheshwara Reddy accused of harassing his wife, Bhavana, has been allocated to the cadre of his home state, Andhra Pradesh, on Monday. Reddy faces accusation of dowry harassment, criminal intimidation and caste discrimination.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) issued orders of their allocation to the Andhra Pradesh government. Along with Maheshwara Reddy, Kommi Pratap Sivakishore, Shafqat Amna, Sunil Sheoran and Rahul Meena were allocated to the Andhra Pradesh cadre.
In October, 2019, Maheshwara Reddy was accused of harassing his wife by demanding dowry. Bhavana, who is a Dalit from the Madiga community, had filed a complaint with the Jawahar Nagar police alleging that Reddy harassed her physically and mentally to divorce him, so that he could marry another woman from his own caste for dowry.
According to Bhavana, Reddy abandoned her once he got selected as an IPS officer.
Reddy has been booked under 498A (husband or relative of husband of a woman subjecting her to cruelty), 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) of the IPC and the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Bhavana even approached the National Commission for Scheduled Castes and National Commission for Women and Human Rights Commission, seeking justice.
Though police initially delayed the case, they eventually wrote to the MHA, following which, in December, they suspended him.
The order had stated that pending investigation/trial against him, his Offer of Appointment remains suspended till further notice.
However, subsequently, Reddy approached the Central Administrative Tribunal which set aside the orders of MHA.
Maheshwara Reddy hails from Kadapa district in Andhra Pradesh. Both Reddy and Bhavana, were classmates at Osmania University Engineering College and were in a relationship for nine years before they got married in April 2018. They were staying in Padma Rao Nagar in Secunderabad. However, Reddy did not disclose his marriage to their parents, and once he moved to Mussoorie to pursue his training, he allegedly deserted her.