No arrest threat to V-C

The TS government on Wednesday informed the Hyderabad High Court that there was no immediate threat to P. Appa Rao, Vice-Chancellor of Hyderabad Central University, of being arrested in the Rohith Vemula suicide case.

Justice P.V. Sanjay Kumar was dealing with a plea by Mr Appa Rao seeking quashing of the case registered against him on charges of abetting the suicide of Rohith Vemula.

D. Prashanth, a research scholar, had filed the plea opposing the quash petition of the Vice-Chancellor.

Counsel for Mr Prashanth sought adjournment of the hearing to next week to enable a senior lawyer from Mumbai argue the case of his client.

N.V. Sumanth, counsel for Mr Appa Rao submitted that a judicial commission had already been constituted to probe into the suicide of Rohith Vemula and in view of the fact that the police may arrest his client at any moment, he sought an interim order to stay the arrest till disposal of the quash petition.

At this stage, the judge asked counsel for the TS home department to ask the investigation officer whether there was any immediate threat to the petitioner of being arrested.

Counsel, after contacting the investigation authorities over phone, informed the court that there was no immediate threat and the judge adjourned the case to next Wednesday.