Institute of Legal and Management Studies

The Supreme Court today (July 31) quashed the FIR registered against Telugu actor and film producer Mohan Manchu Babu and his son Vishnu Vardhan Babu, in connection with a protest rally held in 2019 over the issue of student fee reimbursements in Andhra Pradesh.

The bench comprising Justices BV Nagarathna and KV Viswanathan allowed Mohan Babu and his son's plea, setting aside the Andhra Pradesh High Court's decision refusing to quash the criminal proceedings against them.

The case arose from a protest held on March 22, 2019, led by Mohan Babu, his sons Manchu Vishnu and Manchu Manoj, and two other senior staff members of Sri Vidyaniketan Educational Institutions, to demand release of pending student fee reimbursement funds by raising slogans vociferously against the-then Ruling Government of Andhra Pradesh for not granting Students' Fee Reimbursement to their educational institutions.

A complaint was lodged by the then Model Code of Conduct Officer since the Elections were scheduled in the State, that the protest involved a rally and dharna that allegedly obstructed traffic for over four hours. Basing this, the police registered FIR under Sections 290, 341, 171-F read with 34 of the IPC, and Section 34 of the Police Act, 1861.

Refusing to quash the FIR, the High Court said the allegations labelled against the Appellants required trial and that the case did not meet the exceptional conditions under the Supreme Court's ruling in State of Haryana v. Bhajan Lal (1992) for exercising inherent powers.

Following this, the Appellants approached the Supreme Court.

(Story to be updated upon uploading of judgment)

Cause Title: MANCHU MOHAN BABU VERSUS THE STATE OF ANDHRA PRADESH & ANR. (& connected matter)

Appearance:

For Petitioner(s) :Mr. Raghavendra S. Srivatsa, Sr. Adv. Mr. Pai Amit, AOR Mr. Abhiyudaya Vats, Adv. Mr. Tathagata Dutta, Adv. Ms. Pankhuri Bhardwaj, AOR

For Respondent(s) :Ms. Prerna Singh, Adv. Mr. Guntur Pramod Kumar, AOR Mr. Samarth Krishan Luthra, Adv.