A court in Hyderabad has returned the complaint against Congress leader Meenakshi Natarajan that had formed the basis for the rejection of her Rajya Sabha nomination. The court also clarified that no criminal case was pending against Meenakshi Natarajan in the matter.
According to reports, the IV Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court at Nampally returned the private complaint on Friday, June 13, holding that it lacked jurisdiction as several of the persons named as accused were current or former public representatives.
The development is significant because Meenakshi Natarajan’s Rajya Sabha nomination was recently rejected by the Returning Officer on the ground that she had failed to disclose the pending complaint in her election affidavit. Earlier on Friday, the Supreme Court dismissed her plea challenging the Returning Officer’s decision, observing that the appropriate remedy was to file an election petition.
The complaint was filed by a woman who accused former Narayanpet Congress leader Kumbham Shiva Kumar Reddy of sexual assault and criminal intimidation. She also alleged that Congress leaders, including Meenakshi Natarajan, failed to act on her complaints and that some later threatened her. The petitioner sought criminal action against the respondents, compensation of Rs 10 crore, and punishment under relevant provisions of law.
Meenakshi Natarajan was named in the complaint on the allegation that, as the AICC in-charge for Telangana, she did not take action on the woman’s sexual assault complaint.
While returning the petition, the court noted that four of the respondents — Narayanpet MLA Chittem Parnika Reddy, TPCC president B Mahesh Kumar Goud, former MP Meenakshi Natarajan, and Minister Vakiti Srihari — are current or former public representatives, and directed the petitioner to approach the competent court. After examining the petition and hearing submissions from the respondents’ counsel, the court returned the complaint.
