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Telangana High Court Dismisses Rice Millers' Pleas to Quash FIRs | AirNews

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Telangana High CourtRice MillersPublic Distribution SystemFIRsBharatiya Nyaya Sanhita

Telangana High Court Dismisses Rice Millers' Pleas to Quash FIRs

about 24 hours ago

Published: May 8, 2026

The Telangana High Court has dismissed a batch of criminal petitions filed by rice millers seeking to quash cases registered against them for diverting paddy meant for the Public Distribution System. The court ruled that the allegations against the rice millers require investigation and that they are liable under Section 316 (5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for failing to deliver custom milled rice.

The Telangana High Court has dismissed a batch of criminal petitions filed by rice millers from various districts, seeking directions to quash the cases registered against them on charges of diverting paddy meant for the Public Distribution System for personal gains. Justice J. Sreenivasa Rao noted that the rice millers failed to deliver custom milled rice, equivalent to the paddy government had supplied.

The allegations against the rice millers included that they “dishonestly and fraudulently misappropriated and diverted the paddy for their personal and pecuniary gains”. The court ruled that these allegations “prima facie disclose cognisable offences and require investigation”.

The rice millers had contended that Section 316 (5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita cannot be invoked against them since they did not fall within the meaning of ‘agent’ as per Section 182 of the Contract Act 1872. However, the judge described this argument as a ‘misconceived’ notion, noting that the execution of the agreement and the admitted entrustment of paddy clearly established a relationship of agency coupled with dominion over property.

The court's judgment stated that the rice millers were under a binding obligation to convert and return the custom milled rice to the corporation, and that their failure to do so attracts Section 316 (5) of the BNS. The case will now proceed with investigation, with the next steps to be determined by the relevant authorities.