IN THE HIGH COURT FOR THE STATE OF TELANGANA AT HYDERABAD THE HON'BLE SRI JUSTICE E.V.VENUGOPAL WRIT PETITION No.8714 of 2024 DATE OF ORDER: 17.03.2026 Between:

Pavahar Santosh @ Yashwanth Rao ...Petitioner AND The State of Telangana, Rep. by its Principal Secretary, Department of Home, Secretariat Buildings, Saifabad, Hyderabad, and others ...Respondents

ORDER:

This Writ Petition, under Article 226 of the Constitution of India, is filed seeking the following relief:

“….to issue a Writ, Order or Direction more particularly one in the nature of Writ of Mandamus, to declare the action of the respondents in opening and continuing the rowdy sheet against the Petitioner herein for last 15 years and not considering the representation dt. 23/07/2022, as illegal, arbitrary, against Article 14 and 21 of the Constitution of India and in violation of principles of natural justice and against all the settled principles of law and consequently to direct the Respondents to consider the representation of the petitioner dt. 23/07/2022 to close the rowdy sheet opened against the Petitioner on 02/02/2007 and to pass.…”

2. Heard Mr.Akkam Eshwar, learned counsel for the petitioner and Mr. M.Srinivas, learned Assistant Government Pleader for Home appearing for the respondents and perused the record.

3. Learned counsel appearing for the petitioner would submit that the petitioner has been falsely implicated in multiple criminal cases previously (Crime Nos.3 of 2007, 154 of 2006, 106 of 2016, 125 of 2016, 18 of 2019, 150 of 2019) filed against the petitioner, only Crime No.150 of 2019 remains pending, while all other cases have been legally closed, demonstrating his innocence. Initially, the rowdy sheet was opened in the year 2007 for the pending crimes and the petitioner is a law abiding citizen having considerable reputation in the society and was never involved in any crime till date from 2019. Under the guise of the rowdy sheet opened against the petitioner, the respondent-authorities are harassing the petitioner, causing repeated summons, nocturnal visits to his residence, and mental distress, thereby affecting his livelihood and disturbing his family.

4. It is submitted that under Standing Orders 601, 602, and 742 of the A.P. Police Manual, rowdy sheets can only be maintained against habitual offenders who repeatedly commit offences affecting public order, peace, or security. The petitioner, having not been involved in any criminal case for more than three years, does not qualify as a habitual offender, and therefore, the rowdy sheet maintained against him is unlawful.

5. Maintenance of rowdy sheets is governed by Standing Order No.601 of A.P. Police Manual, Part-I, Volume II, which reads as under:

“601. The following persons may be classified as rowdies and Rowdy Sheets (Form 80) may be opened for them under the orders of the SP/DCP and ACP/SDPO.

A. Persons who habitually commit, attempt to commit or abet the commission of offences involving a breach of the peace, disturbance to public order and security.

B. Persons bound over under Sections 106, 107, 108(1)

(i) and 110(e) and (g) of Cr.P.C.

C. Persons who have been convicted more than once in two consecutive years under sections 59 and 70 of the Hyderabad City Police Act or under section 3, clause 12, of the AP Towns Nuisances Act.

D. Persons who habitually tease women and girls and pass indecent remarks.

F. Persons who intimidate by threats or use of physical violence or other unlawful means to part with movable or immovable properties or in the habit of collecting money by extortion from shopkeepers, traders and other residents. G. Persons who incite and instigate communal/caste or political riots.

H. Persons detained under the “AP Prevention of Dangerous Activities of Bootleggers, Dacoits, Drug Offenders, Goondas, Immoral Traffic Offenders and Land-Grabbers Act, 1986” for a period of 6 months or more.

I. Persons who are convicted for offences under the Representatives of the Peoples’ Act for rigging a