The Hyderabad High Court directed the Telangana police to produce K Dinesh Chakrawarthy, a candidate contesting from Gajwel assembly constituency against the chief minister K Chandrashekarao Rao in the forthcoming Assembly elections, before the court on Tuesday.

According to reports, Chakrawarthy of the Samajwadi Forward Bloc (SFB) was last seen on November 22, shortly after he filed his nomination papers for the December 7 elections. His party president Muralidhar Rao approached the high court stating that Chakravarthy has been missing since filing the nomination in the high-profile seat.

The bench comprising Justice Raghvendra Singh Chauhan and Justice M Satyanarayana Murthy was passing this order in a habeas corpus petition moved by Rao. The petitioner party, in its affidavit, submitted that both the party leaders and his family members were worried about his safety since the police have failed to trace him. It submitted that the party suspects that the Gajwel TRS leaders have picked the detenue and was kept under their illegal custody. After hearing the case, the bench directed the respondents — Commissioner of police, Siddipet and SHO of Gajwel police station, to produce the detenue before the court on Tuesday, and adjourned the case hearing.

—Indian Legal Bureau