Hyderabad, June 30: A Special Court for MPs and MLAs in Hyderabad on Tuesday acquitted Goshamahal MLA T. Raja Singh in the 2022 case related to his alleged derogatory remarks about Prophet Muhammad, ruling that the prosecution failed to prove the charges beyond reasonable doubt.
Raja Singh had been booked under Sections 153A(a)(b), 295A, 504, 505(2), and 506 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) after his remarks sparked widespread protests in 2022. He was subsequently arrested and detained for more than two months under the Preventive Detention (PD) Act.
Confirming the verdict, Raja Singh’s counsel, K. Karuna Sagar, said the Special Court held that the prosecution could not establish the charges beyond reasonable doubt and acquitted the legislator.
Reacting to the judgment, Raja Singh described it as a “victory of truth.” In a post on social media platform X, he alleged that the then Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government invoked the Preventive Detention Act under pressure from the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), resulting in his imprisonment for nearly 77 days.
He stated that he had complete faith in the judiciary throughout the legal proceedings and chose to fight the case through the courts after securing bail. Raja Singh said that after nearly four years of trial, the court had found the allegations against him unproven.
The MLA also maintained that he never intended to hurt the religious sentiments of any community. He alleged that several false cases had also been registered against him under the present Congress-led Telangana government and expressed confidence that he would be acquitted in those cases as well.
Thanking his supporters, Raja Singh reiterated his respect for the judiciary and said he would continue to serve the people while working within the framework of the Constitution.
Raja Singh was arrested on August 25, 2022, after the Hyderabad Police Commissioner invoked the Preventive Detention Act. He was released from jail on November 9, 2022, after the Telangana High Court set aside the detention order and granted him bail.
Following the controversy, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had suspended Raja Singh from the party. However, the suspension was revoked ahead of the 2023 Telangana Assembly elections, and he was once again fielded from the Goshamahal Assembly constituency, where he retained his seat.
Last year, Raja Singh resigned from the BJP after he was reportedly not permitted to file his nomination for the election to the post of Telangana BJP president.
