IN THE HIGH COURT FOR THE STATE OF TELANGANA AT HYDERABAD THE HONOURABLE SRI JUSTICE J.SREENIVAS RAO CRIMINAL PETITION No.777 of 2026 Date: 27.01.2026 Between:

Ekhar Khan ...Petitioner AND The State of Telangana, Rep. by the Public Prosecutor, High Court at Hyderabad for the State of Telangana and another ...Respondents

ORDER

This Criminal Petition has been filed seeking to quash the proceedings in C.C.No.308 of 2022, on the file of learned Principal Judicial Magistrate First Class at Armoor, wherein the petitioner was arrayed as accused, for the offences punishable under Section 420 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 (for short ‘IPC’) and Section 7 of the Essential Commodities Act, 1955 (for short ‘EC Act’).

2. Heard Mr.A.Divakar Reddy, learned counsel for the petitioner and Mr.M.Ramachandra Reddy, learned Additional Public Prosecutor for respondent No.1.

3. The specific allegation against the petitioner/accused is that he has procured PDS rice from the beneficiaries at cheaper rate to sell the same for profit and on 14.08.2022 at about 13:00 hours, the petitioner was found in possession of 15.60 quintals of PDS rice.

4. Learned counsel for the petitioner would submit that without there be