Taking a serious note of the alleged involvement of IPS officer M. Sunil Kumar Naik in the custodial torture of former MP and current Deputy Speaker K. Raghu Ramakrishna Raju, the Andhra Pradesh High Court (HC) on Thursday observed that attacking a Member of Parliament (MP) was not different from attacking the Parliament itself. The High Court opined that it would be good for the IPS offier to surrender.

Hearing the anticipatory bail plea filed by Mr. Naik, who was then Deputy Inspector General of CID, Justice Y. Lakshman Rao said the bail could not be a shield for a person against whom severe allegations were levelled and wondered how an IPS officer could indulge in custodial torture of an MP. 

He stated that Mr. Naik should have been vigilant and restrained himself from acting in the manner he did, and asserted that he (the IPS officer) appeared to have a direct or indirect role in the incident. 

Justice Lakshman Rao repeatedly questioned when Mr. Naik would give himself up and reiterated that the matter was grim and hence could not be taken lightly.

The case was posted on June 19 for further submissions by the petitioner’s counsel. Mr. Ramakrishna Raju was YSR Congress Party MP from Narsapuram between 2019 and 2024, during which charges were framed against him under various sections of the Indian Penal Code.