RGV skips appearance before police in derogatory posts case

Ram Gopal Varma was directed to appear before the investigating officer at Maddipadu police station in Prakasam district on Tuesday for questioning

Amaravati:  Controversial film director Ram Gopal Varma skipped appearing before the police in the case registered against him for alleged derogatory social media posts against Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and Deputy CM.

Ram Gopal Varma was directed to appear before the investigating officer at Maddipadu police station in Prakasam district on Tuesday for questioning.

The filmmaker has sought four days’ time to appear before the investigating office. The Andhra Pradesh High Court on Monday declined to grant interim relief to the him.

The court made it clear that it cannot order similar to the grant of bail in a quash petition. RGV, as the filmmaker is popularly known, had sought interim orders exempting him from appearance before the investigating officer.

When RGV’s counsel told the court that the petitioner was facing the threat of arrest, the judge said that the petitioner should file a bail petition. On the petitioner’s request for more time to appear before the police for questioning, the High Court asked him to make a request to the police.

The police on November 13 had served notice to the filmmaker, directing him to appear before the investigation officer at Maddipadu police station. The police on November 11 registered a case against the filmmaker on a complaint by a local Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader, Ramalingam.

The complainant alleged that RGV made derogatory comments against TDP national president Chandrababu Naidu, his son Nara Lokesh, other family members, and actor-turned-politician Pawan Kalyan during the promotional activity of his film ‘Vyuham’ late last year.

The filmmaker had posted objectionable comments on social media platforms. A case under Sections 336 (4) and 353 (2) of BNS Act and also under Section 67 of IT Act was booked against RGV at Maddipadu police station.

The controversial filmmaker had allegedly posted morphed images on’X,’ targeting Naidu, Pawan Kalyan and Lokesh at the time of the release of ‘Vyuham.’

Based on the events surrounding the tragic death of then Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy in a helicopter crash in 2009 and the subsequent formation of YSR Congress Party by his son Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, the movie was released late last year in the run-up to simultaneous polls to Andhra Pradesh Assembly and Lokesh Sabha.