Extracted from the PDF above. The PDF is authoritative.
APHC010362662026
IN THE HIGH COURT OF ANDHRA PRADESH THURSDAY, THE 6 THE HONOURABLE SRI JUSTICE MAHESWARA RAO KUNCHEAM WRIT PETITION NO: 19644/2026 Between:
1. CHENDETI SUJATHA, W/O. CHENDETI PRABHAKAR, AGED ABOUT 43 YEARS, R/O.RAJAKA COLONY, NAIDUPETA TOWN AND MANDAL, SPSR NELLORE DISTRICT, ANDHRA PRADESH (PRESENTLY TIRUPATI DISTRICT). 1. THE STATE OF ANDHRA PRADESH, REP.BY ITS SECRETARY (HOME), STATE SECRETARIAT BUILDINGS, VELAGAPUDI, GUNTUR DISTRICT, ANDHRA PRADESH
2. THE DIRECTOR GENERAL OF POLICE, MANAGALGIRI, ANDHRA PRADESH-522007. 3. THE SUPERINTENDENT OF POLICE, PRAKASAM ROAD, NEAR TOWN CLUB, TIRUPATI
4. THE INSPECTOR OF POLICE, NAIDUPETA RURAL CIRCLE, TIRUPATI DISTRICT, ANDHRA PRADESH
5. THE STATION HOUSE OFFICER, DORAVARISATRAM POLICE STATION, TIRUPATI DISTRICT, ANDHRA PRADESH
6. VANKILI VENKATARATNAM, , W/O. NOT KNOWN, AGED ABOUT NOT KNOWN, RIO. NELABALLI VILLAGE, DORAVARASATRAM MANDAL, TIRUPATI DISTRICT
7. RAMANA, S/O. NOT KNOWN, AGED ABOUT NOT KNOWN, R/O.
NELABALLI VILLAGE, DORAVARASATRAM MANDAL, TIRUPATI DISTRICT-524126. I
8. NAGISETTY PARATHSARATHI, S/O. NOT KNOWN, AGED ABOUT NOT KNOWN, RIO. NELABALLI VILLAGE, DORAVARASATRAM IN THE HIGH COURT OF ANDHRA PRADESH AT AMARAVATI (Special Original Jurisdiction) THURSDAY, THE 6th DAY OF AUGUST 2026 PRESENT THE HONOURABLE SRI JUSTICE MAHESWARA RAO KUNCHEAM WRIT PETITION NO: 19644/2026 CHENDETI SUJATHA, W/O. CHENDETI PRABHAKAR, AGED ABOUT 43 YEARS, R/O.RAJAKA COLONY, NAIDUPETA TOWN AND MANDAL, SPSR NELLORE DISTRICT, ANDHRA PRADESH (PRESENTLY TIRUPATI DISTRICT). ...PETITIONER AND THE STATE OF ANDHRA PRADESH, REP.BY ITS SECRETARY (HOME), STATE SECRETARIAT BUILDINGS, VELAGAPUDI, GUNTUR DISTRICT, ANDHRA PRADESH THE DIRECTOR GENERAL OF POLICE, MANAGALGIRI, ANDHRA
522007. THE SUPERINTENDENT OF POLICE, PRAKASAM ROAD, NEAR TOWN CLUB, TIRUPATI DISTRICT-517501. THE INSPECTOR OF POLICE, NAIDUPETA RURAL CIRCLE, TIRUPATI DISTRICT, ANDHRA PRADESH-524126. TRICT THE STATION HOUSE OFFICER, DORAVARISATRAM POLICE STATION, TIRUPATI DISTRICT, ANDHRA PRADESH-524123. VENKATARATNAM, , W/O. NOT KNOWN, AGED ABOUT NOT KNOWN, RIO. NELABALLI VILLAGE, DORAVARASATRAM MANDAL, TIRUPATI DISTRICT-524126. ) RAMANA, S/O. NOT KNOWN, AGED ABOUT NOT KNOWN, R/O.
NELABALLI VILLAGE, DORAVARASATRAM MANDAL, TIRUPATI
524126. I NAGISETTY PARATHSARATHI, S/O. NOT KNOWN, AGED ABOUT NOT KNOWN, RIO. NELABALLI VILLAGE, DORAVARASATRAM IN THE HIGH COURT OF ANDHRA PRADESH [3504]
THE HONOURABLE SRI JUSTICE MAHESWARA RAO KUNCHEAM CHENDETI SUJATHA, W/O. CHENDETI PRABHAKAR, AGED ABOUT 43 YEARS, R/O.RAJAKA COLONY, NAIDUPETA TOWN AND MANDAL, SPSR NELLORE DISTRICT, ANDHRA PRADESH- 524126. ...PETITIONER THE STATE OF ANDHRA PRADESH, REP.BY ITS PRINCIPAL SECRETARY (HOME), STATE SECRETARIAT BUILDINGS, VELAGAPUDI, GUNTUR DISTRICT, ANDHRA PRADESH-522503. THE DIRECTOR GENERAL OF POLICE, MANAGALGIRI, ANDHRA THE SUPERINTENDENT OF POLICE, PRAKASAM ROAD, NEAR THE INSPECTOR OF POLICE, NAIDUPETA RURAL CIRCLE,
524126.
TRICT-524126 THE STATION HOUSE OFFICER, DORAVARISATRAM POLICE
524123. VENKATARATNAM, , W/O. NOT KNOWN, AGED ABOUT NOT KNOWN, RIO. NELABALLI VILLAGE, DORAVARASATRAM RAMANA, S/O. NOT KNOWN, AGED ABOUT NOT KNOWN, R/O.
NELABALLI VILLAGE, DORAVARASATRAM MANDAL, TIRUPATI NAGISETTY PARATHSARATHI, S/O. NOT KNOWN, AGED ABOUT NOT KNOWN, RIO. NELABALLI VILLAGE, DORAVARASATRAM
2 MRK,J W.P.No.19644 of 2026
MANDAL, TIRUPATI DISTRICT-524126. 9. DASARAJU SRIDHAR, SLO. CHENGAL RAJU, AGED ABOUT NOT KNOWN, R/O. NELABALLI VILLAGE, DORAVARASATRAM MANDAL, TIRUPATI DISTRICT-524126. 10. RAYAPATI RAJENDRA PRASAD, S/O. NOT KNOWN, AGED ABOUT NOT KNOWN, RIO. NELABALLI VILLAGE, DORAVARASATRAM MANDAL, TIRUPATI DIS
...RESPONDENT(S): Petition under Article 226 of the Constitution of India praying that in the circumstances stated in the affidavit filed therewith, the High Court may be pleased to issue a writ, order or direction more particularly one in the nature of Writ of Mandamus declaring the action of the respondent no.4 in issuance of Endorsement, dated 05.06.2026, in not taking cognizance by registering F.I.R. pursuant to my complaint/report lodged dated 16.05.2026 as illegal, arbitrary, unjust and in violation of Article 14 and 21 of the Constitution of India and consequently, direct the respondents 3 and 4 to take cognizance of the complaint/report lodged by me dated16.05.2026 and to register an F.I.R. and further investigate into the matter in the interest of justice and pass IA NO: 1 OF 2026 Petition under Section 151 CPC praying that in the circumstances stated in the affidavit filed in support of the petition, the High Court may be pleased Counsel for the Petitioner:
1. SINGARAJU MAHASWETHA VARMA Counsel for the Respondent(S):
1.
GP FOR HOME The Court made the following:
3 MRK,J W.P.No.19644 of 2026
THE HONOURABLE SRI JUSTICE MAHESWARA RAO KUNCHEAM WRIT PETITION NO: 19644 of 2026 ORDER:-
Instant Writ Petition has been filed under Article 226 of the Constitution of India seeking the following relief:
“…..to issue a writ, order or direction more particularly one in the nature of Writ of Mandamus declaring the action of the respondent no.4 in issuance of Endorsement dated 05.06.2026 in not taking cognizance by registering F.I.R. pursuant to my complaint/report lodged dated 16.05.2026, as illegal, arbitrary unjust and in violation of Article 14 and 21 of the Constitution of India and consequently direct the respondents 3 and 4 to take cognizance of the complaint/report lodged by me dated16 05 2026 and to register an F.I.R. and further investigate into the matter in the interest of justice and to pass…..”
2. Heard learned counsel for the petitioner and learned Assistant Government Pleader for Home appearing on behalf of Respondent/State and perused the material placed available on record. 3. Conspectus of facts in the present Writ Petition is that, despite the petitioner’s complaint to the police personnel, the respondent police are not acting upon the same by registering an FIR, thereby lodging criminal proceedings. 4. Learned Assistant Government Pleader for Home, basing on the written instructions of the Respondent/Police, submits that preliminary enquiry of the
4 MRK,J W.P.No.19644 of 2026
police reveals that the petitioner’s complaint does not disclose commission of any cognizable offence. As such, Writ Petition itself is not maintainable. 5. Now, coming to the central issue in the lis, despite the petitioner’s complaint, the police are not registering an FIR; the aggrieved party directly initiating proceedings before the Hon’ble High Court under Article 226 of the Constitution of India or Section 528 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 corresponding to Section 482 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973. 6.
In this juncture, it is appropriate to note that the issue involved in the present lis, is squarely covered by the Order of this Court dated 23.07.2026 in WP No.18425 of 2026, wherein this Court appreciated the facts and law by taking into consideration of the dictums laid down by the Apex Court including latest expression held in Sujal Vishwas Attavar and another vs. State of Maharashtra and others1, wherein it was held as under:
“7. Keeping in view the above exposition of law, we find that the extraordinary jurisdiction under Article 226 of the Constitution of India ought not to have been invoked when alternative equally efficacious statutory remedies were available. If a person has a grievance that his FIR has not been registered by the police, or having been registered, proper investigation is not being conducted, then the remedy does not ordinarily lie in invoking the writ jurisdiction in the first instance, but in seeking recourse to the statutory framework, unless of course the urgency of the circumstances warrant otherwise. 1 2026 SCC OnLine SC 798
5 MRK,J W.P.No.19644 of 2026
8. The Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita 2023 (erstwhile Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973) provides a structured sequential mechanism for initiating criminal prosecution. The statutory framework contemplates that information relating to the commission of a cognizable offence is first placed before the officer-in-charge of the police station and an FIR is registered under Section 173(1) BNSS. In the event of refusal to register the FIR, recourse lies before the jurisdictional Superintendent of Police under Section 173(4) BNSS and, thereafter, before the Magistrate, under Section 175(3) BNSS. 9. xxxx. 10. xxxx. 11. The High Court is not bound to entertain a writ petition merely because a case of alleged inaction or negligence is made out against a statutory authority. Ordinarily, where a statute provides a complete and efficacious remedy, the same must be exhausted before invoking constitutional jurisdiction [See: Sakiri Vasu (supra) and Sudhir Bhaskarrao Tambe (supra)].
In the present facts, the complainant Company has not exhausted the sequential statutory remedies available under BNSS. There is, therefore, no foundation to invoke the extraordinary jurisdiction of the High Court for the reason that efficacious and efficient alternative remedies exists. Hence, at this stage, we find the instant writ petition to be premature, and, therefore, not fit to be entertained.”
7. Accordingly, by applying the above ratio to the present case too, this Writ Petition is disposed of as under: i) Liberty is granted to the petitioner to approach the learned jurisdictional Magistrate by filing appropriate complaint under Section 175(3) and 210 read with 223 of BNSS, 2023. 6 MRK,J W.P.No.19644 of 2026
ii) This Court has not expressed any opinion on merits and whether or not the complaint discloses criminal offences. iii) Equally, it will be open to all the stakeholders to avail remedies in terms of the statutory realm.” There shall be no order as to costs. 8. Registry is directed to append a copy of the Order of this Court dated 23.07.2026 in W.P.No.18425 of 2026 along with the instant order. As a sequel, Interlocutory Applications pending, if any, shall stand closed. ______________________________ MAHESWARA RAO KUNCHEAM, J
Dated: 06.08.2026 MDP