Court allows AP Police to transit Maoist leader

Kochi, Dec 19 (UNI) A lower court in Aluva, which had earlier today remanded Maoist leader Malla Raji Reddy to 14 days judicial custody, later handed him over to an Andhra Pradesh police team, which undertook to produce him in a court there within 48 hours.

Judicial magistrate Sreekala Suresh had earlier rejected the transit remand application of the Andhra Pradesh police on technical grounds.

However, later, the Andhra police filed a fresh affidavit before the court, undertaking to produce Reddy and his companion Sughana, who was arrested along with him at Angamaly near here on Monday night, in a court in their state within 48 hours.

The magistrate entrusted Reddy to the Andhra police team as it was carrying a non-bailable warrant against him, issued by the judicial first class magistrate court at Manthani in Karimnagar district of Andhra Pradesh.

However, as there was no warrant against the woman, the magistrate directed that she be produced before the Ernakulam Rural SP, who decided to let her go with the Andhra police.

The two were arrested outside the Little Flower Hospital in Angamaly by the Andhra police, which had set a trap for them.

Reddy, a member of the Maoist Central Committee, is wanted in over 40 cases. Sughana also is wanted in some cases in Andhra, police said.

Reddy, after being produced before the Aluva Magistrate this afternoon, told mediapersons that he had come to Kerala on December 14, with the purpose of talking to people here. They had not undertaken any activities in this state, he said.

The veteran extremist leader, who is said to have been underground for the past 30 years, was shouting Maoist revolutionary slogans while being taken from the court.

UNI