Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and four other leaders, who were summoned by Delhi Police regarding the fake video case of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, have requested an extension for their appearance. According to the information, their legal counsels have sought additional time for appearance via email. The counsels cited their clients' inability to adhere to the summons from Delhi Police concerning the ongoing investigation into the allegedly tampered video.
Why were Telangana CM, and others summoned?
The Delhi Police summoned the Telangana Chief Minister and others as part of the ongoing investigation into the dissemination of an alleged fabricated video. The video purportedly shows the Union Home Minister expressing opposition to reservations, but the BJP later declared it as fake and accused several Congress leaders in the southern state of circulating it. The summons required CM Reddy and four others to present themselves at 10:30 am on May 1, along with their mobile devices and laptops for forensic scrutiny.
Summoning the Telangana CM and the others earlier in connection with the 'fake' video case, the police said it is to be seen who joins the investigation in person and who sends their responses via email on May 1. Based on their submissions or responses, the probe will be taken forward, the officers informed. Earlier, the Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSO) unit of Delhi Police issued summons to 16 individuals across 7 to 8 states in connection with the case. The summons were issued under Sections 91 and 160 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), asking the persons concerned to join the investigation and provide relevant documents and electronic devices as evidence. According to police sources, those summoned include six members of the ruling Congress in Telangana, including Chief Minister Revanth Reddy.
They were asked to appear before Delhi Police's IFSO unit
They, along with other persons from several states, were asked to appear for questioning on May 1 at the IFSO unit in Delhi's Dwarka. CrPC Section 160 allows police to summon a person for investigation, while Section 91 allows police to seek specific documents or gadgets to be presented as evidence. Assam Police on Monday arrested Reetom Singh, the first person to be arrested in connection with the 'doctored' video case, sources said. It is alleged that the video clip was shared by several Congress leaders.
BJP lodged complaint against Congress
Earlier, the Telangana unit of the BJP lodged a complaint against Chief Minister Reddy and the state chief of the Congress party at the Cyber Crime police station. The complaint alleged that the Congress party had manipulated and altered a speech by Amit Shah. According to the complaint, the official handle of the Telangana Pradesh Congress Party shared a video of Amit Shah that was allegedly doctored and fabricated. In the video, Shah purportedly stated, "If the BJP comes to power, we will revoke the unconstitutional reservations for Muslims. We will ensure that SCs, STs, and OBCs receive quotas as mandated by the Constitution." CM Reddy was summoned to appear before Delhi Police's IFSO unit (Cyber Unit) on May 1, along with his mobile phone.
(With inputs from ANI)
ALSO READ: Amit Shah doctored video case: Telangana CM Revanth Reddy summoned by Delhi Police
