Telangana HC posts hearing on IPS officer's plea to quash harassment FIR to July 27

The Telangana High Court has set July 27 as the date to hear a petition filed by a trainee IPS officer seeking to quash a First Information Report (FIR) registered against him. The officer faces accusations of sexually harassing and stalking a woman who is also a trainee at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy in Hyderabad.

The 32-year-old trainee officer was booked on July 18. His plea to the High Court came after the government prosecutor requested more time to gather information regarding the case. The court granted this request, scheduling the next hearing for July 27.

The complainant, a 30-year-old woman trainee IPS officer, alleges that the accused began harassing her on June 23. Her complaint details sexually abusive messages sent via an instant messaging application and derogatory remarks made in the presence of other trainees. She further claims he falsely accused her of a relationship with another trainee and pressured her to admit to it.

The allegations escalate significantly, with the complainant stating that on July 9, the accused wrongfully restrained her. She claims he forcibly took her to his room, grabbed her by the hair, attempted to strangle her, and held a knife to her neck, preventing her from leaving. Additionally, she accuses him of secretly recording a private video of her and sending it to her husband as a form of blackmail.

Based on her complaint, police registered a case under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including assault with intent to outrage modesty, sexual harassment, stalking, and acts intended to insult a woman's modesty, along with provisions of the Information Technology Act. The accused officer was hospitalized on July 20 after being found unconscious, with suspicions of consuming a harmful substance, though doctors later reported his condition as stable post-gastric lavage.