Patna Court Blocks Arrest of Bihar IG Sunil Naik in Alleged Custodial Torture Case Linked to Andhra Deputy Speaker
Patna/Guntur: In a significant legal development, a Patna court on Monday prevented the arrest of Bihar-cadre IPS officer Sunil Kumar Naik after dismissing the Andhra Pradesh Police’s plea for transit remand, pointing to serious procedural shortcomings.
The order came shortly after a team from Andhra Pradesh reached Patna to take Naik into custody.
A 2005-batch IPS officer, Naik is currently serving as Inspector General of Fire and Home Guards in Bihar.
At the time of the alleged incident, he was on deputation in Andhra Pradesh and posted as Deputy Inspector General in the Crime Investigation Department (CID).
He has been accused in a case related to the alleged custodial assault and attempted murder of Andhra Pradesh Assembly Deputy Speaker Kanumuru Raghurama Krishna Raju in May 2021.
Court Flags Procedural Violations
Rejecting the transit remand application, the Patna court observed that the Andhra Pradesh Police had failed to submit essential documents, including the case diary and an arrest warrant.
Patna City Superintendent of Police Bhanu Pratap Singh stated that although the Andhra team had approached local authorities regarding Case No. CR 187/24, the arrest attempt around 6 am was marred by procedural lapses.
The local police were reportedly not informed in advance, and mandatory paperwork was missing, prompting the court to deny remand.
Background of the Case
The First Information Report (FIR), registered in July 2024 following a complaint by Raju, invokes sections of the Indian Penal Code dealing with criminal conspiracy, attempt to murder, grievous injury, forgery, and criminal intimidation.
Apart from Naik, the FIR names several former CID officials, including PV Sunil Kumar, then Director General of Crime Branch-CID; IPS officer Seetharamanjaneyulu; and R Vijaya Paul, then Additional Superintendent of Police in CB-CID. The complaint also mentions former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy.
Naik’s lawyers, however, maintain that his name did not appear in the original complaint and was introduced only later during the course of investigation.
Allegations of Custodial Assault
The case stems from events following Naik’s deputation to Andhra Pradesh in December 2019 for a three-year tenure on personal grounds.
In May 2021, Raju — then a Member of Parliament representing the YSR Congress Party — was arrested on charges of sedition over alleged hate speech.
The arrest came after he moved a plea before a CBI court in Hyderabad seeking cancellation of bail granted to Jagan Mohan Reddy in a disproportionate assets case.
Raju later alleged that instead of being produced before a magistrate in Hyderabad, he was taken to the CB-CID office in Guntur.
There, he claimed, senior officers assaulted him with rubber belts and batons and denied him medication despite his recent heart bypass surgery.
In his complaint, Raju alleged that individuals pressed on his chest in an attempt to kill him and physically assaulted him until he disclosed his mobile phone password.
He further claimed he was threatened with dire consequences if he continued to criticise the then chief minister.
He also alleged that after being moved to the Government General Hospital in Guntur, medical authorities issued fabricated medical reports under police pressure.
Legal Defence Pushes Back
Senior advocate Amit Srivastava and advocate Kunal Tiwari, representing Naik, have strongly denied the allegations.
They argue that the FIR was filed nearly three years after the alleged incident and that Naik’s name did not initially feature in the complaint registered in July 2024 in Guntur district.
According to Srivastava, even when Raju approached the Andhra Pradesh High Court and later the Supreme Court seeking relief, Naik was never implicated.
The Supreme Court granted bail to Raju in May 2025, and at no point during those proceedings was Naik named.
The defence has suggested that Naik’s inclusion during the investigation reflects mala fide intent.
They are considering moving the Andhra Pradesh High Court to seek the quashing of the FIR.
Political Context
Raju, who won the Narsapuram Lok Sabha seat in 2019 on a YSRCP ticket, later turned dissident and became openly critical of the Jagan Mohan Reddy government, particularly over its decision to convert Telugu-medium schools into English medium institutions.
Now aligned with the ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Raju has filed petitions in a CBI court in Hyderabad seeking cancellation of bail granted to Jagan in the alleged illegal assets case.
After the TDP-led NDA coalition assumed office in 2024, fresh cases were registered in July against certain police officials and the former chief minister in connection with the 2021 custodial episode.
Former CID Additional SP R Vijaya Paul and Guntur General Hospital’s Medical Superintendent Dr N Prabhavati are also among those named in the case.
Prakasam district SP A R Damodar, who is probing the matter, issued a notice to Naik after determining that he was present at the CID office in Guntur when Raju was brought there.
Naik has been directed to appear before the SP’s office at the earliest to record his statement.
As legal proceedings continue and political undertones remain evident, the case is likely to unfold as both a judicial battle and a flashpoint in Andhra Pradesh’s shifting political landscape.
