Guduri Praveen Reddy, v. The State Of Telangana,

IN THE HIGH COURT FOR THE STATE OF TELANGANA

AT HYDERABAD THE HONOURABLE SRI JUSTICE E.V.VENUGOPAL CRIMINAL PETITION No.7982 of 2026 Date:21.05.2026 Between:

Guduri Praveen Reddy.

....Petitioner/Accused No.2 And The State of Telangana, through S.H.O., Keesara Police Station, Medchal Malkajgiri District, Rep. by its Public Prosecutor, High Court, Hyderabad. ... Respondent ORDER:

This Criminal Petition is filed under Section 482 of Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (for short 'BNSS') seeking the Court to grant anticipatory bail to the petitioner in the event of his arrest in connection with Crime No.241 of 2026 of Keesara Police Station, Medchal Malkajgiri District, for the offences punishable under Sections 319(2), 318(4), 338, 336(3), 340(2) read with 3(5) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (for short 'BNS').

2.

The facts of the case are that, on 16.03.2026, the de facto complainant lodged a complaint stating that she is the owner and possessor of an open plot admeasuring 342 square yards situated in Survey Nos.54 to 62 of Mahalaxmi Colony, Bandlaguda, having purchased the same under Document No.3931 of 1988. It is alleged that when she recently intended to sell the said plot and verified the Encumbrance Certificate, she found that the property had been registered in the name of one K. Deepa under Document No.11474 of 2022 through Mandadi Satheesh. On further enquiry, she came to know that the said Mandadi Satheesh had allegedly created a false death certificate in the name of her husband Appa Rao and falsely showed Deepa as their daughter instead of their real daughter, Manasa, and thereby got the property registered in Deepa's name.

Further the said Satheesh again registered the same property in the name of Jonnalagadda Manikanta under Document No.12058 of 2022 by using forged and fabricated documents. Hence, the complainant requested the police to take necessary action against the accused persons.

3.

Learned counsel for the petitioner appeared virtually and submitted that the petitioner has been arrayed as Accused No.2 in Crime No.241 of 2026 on the file of Keesara Police Station, Medchal-Malkajgiri District. He submitted that initially the petitioner was not arrayed as an accused in the said F.I.R, but based on the confession statement allegedly made by accused No.4 in the Remand Case Diary, the petitioner was subsequently arrayed as accused No.2. He further submits that the petitioner has been falsely implicated in the said offences and is no way involved in the said crime. He further submits that the petitioner had earlier filed Crl.P.No.6164 of 2026 seeking anticipatory bail before a Co-ordinate Bench of this Court and the same was dismissed vide order dated 04.05.2026.

He further submits that except Section 338 of BNS, all the offences imposed against the petitioner are punishable with imprisonment below seven (07) years and would therefore fall within the category of Judgment of the Hon'ble Apex Court in Arnesh Kumar v. State of Bihar1.

BNS has been wrongly implicated against the petitioner and the same is not applicable to the facts of the present case. He further submits that the statements made before the Investigating Officer are inadmissible in the eyes of law. He also submits that the petitioner is ready and willing to cooperate with the investigation. He further submits that during the interregnum period from 04.05.2026 till the filing of the present Criminal Petition, all the other accused persons have been released on bail except the petitioner herein. Therefore, learned counsel prayed this Court to grant pre-arrest bail to the petitioner by allowing the present Criminal Petition.

4.

On the other hand, learned Additional Public Prosecutor opposed the submissions made by the learned counsel for the petitioner and submits that the petitioner is the main person involved in creation of a false death certificate relating to the husband of the de-facto complainant and also impersonated the de-facto complainant and the allegations against the petitioner are severe in nature and grant of anticipatory bail

at this stage would hamper the investigation. Therefore, he prayed this Court to dismiss the Criminal Petition. 5.

This Court, having heard the learned counsel for the petitioner and the learned Additional Public Prosecutor, and upon a perusal of the material available on record, it appears that the petitioner was admittedly arrayed as Accused No.2 based on the confession statement of Accused No.4 and the statements made before the Investigating Officer are inadmissible in law. Since, except Section 338 of BNS, all the offences alleged against the petitioner are punishable with imprisonment for a term less than seven years. In this context, Section 338 of BNS is extracted hereunder, for reference:

"338. Forgery of valuable security, will, etc.-Whoever forges a document which purports to be a valuable security or a will, or an authority to adopt a son, or which purports to give authority to any person to make or transfer any valuable security, or to receive the principal, interest or dividends thereon, or to receive or deliver any money, movable property, or valuable security, or any document purporting to be an acquittance or receipt acknowledging the payment of money, or an acquittance or receipt for the delivery of any movable property or valuable security, shall be punished with imprisonment for life, or with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to ten years, and shall also be liable to fine."

6.

After considering the submissions made by both the learned counsel and upon reviewing the material available the record, this Court deems it appropriate to grant anticipatory bail to the petitioner/Accused No.2, subject to following conditions:

i.

The petitioner shall execute a personal bond for a sum of Rs.25,000/- (Rupees Twenty Five Thousand only) with two sureties for the like sum each to the satisfaction of the Station House Officer, Keesara Police Station, MedchalMalkajgiri District. The petitioner shall appear before the said Station House Officer on every Monday and Friday between 10:00 A.M. and 02:00 P.M. until filing of the charge sheet and shall surrender his passport before the concerned S.H.O.

ii.

The petitioner shall not leave the country without prior permission of the trial Court and, if necessary, shall file an appropriate application seeking such permission.

iii.

In the event of violation of any of the above conditions by the petitioner, the respondent police shall be at liberty to initiate appropriate

steps, strictly in accordance with law, for cancellation of bail.

For brevity, Section 480(3) of BNSS is extracted hereunder:

'when a person accused or suspected of the commission of an offence punishable with imprisonment which may extend to seven years or more or of an offence under Chapter VI, Chapter VII or Chapter XVII of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 or abetment of, or conspiracy or attempt to commit, any such offence, is released on bail under subsection (1), the Court shall impose the conditions,-(a) that such person shall attend in accordance with the conditions of the bond executed under this Chapter;(b) that such person shall not commit an offence similar to the offence of which he is accused, or suspected, of the commission of which he is suspected; and(c) that such person shall not directly or indirectly make any inducement, threat or promise to any person acquainted with the facts of the case so as to dissuade him from disclosing such facts to the Court or to any police officer or tamper with the evidence, and may also impose, in the interests of justice, such other conditions as it considers necessary.' 7.

Accordingly, this Criminal Petition is allowed. As a sequel thereto, miscellaneous applications if any pending in this petition, shall stand closed. _____________________ E.V.VENUGOPAL, J 21.05.2026 nsk/gnp

THE HONOURABLE SRI JUSTICE E.V.VENUGOPAL CRIMINAL PETITION No.7982 of 2026 Date: 21.05.2026 gnp/nsk