A special court in Guntur on Tuesday dismissed the case filed against Jana Sena Party chief and Andhra Pradesh deputy chief Minister Pawan Kalyan for allegedly making inflammatory comments against village and ward volunteers in July 2023.
Pawan Kalyan allegedly made the comments at his Vaarahi rally in Eluru, describing the volunteers as anti-social elements and accusing them of being involved in human trafficking.
He alleged that nearly 30,000 women were trafficked from the southern state, enabled by the state government's grassroots governance system's foot soldiers, namely ward and village volunteers.
Claiming that he is privy to intelligence from central agencies, the actor-politician said that 30,000 women went missing from the state.
Following a direction from the court, some volunteers filed a complaint with the police against Pawan Kalyan and the police booked him under Sections 499 and 500 of the Indian Penal Code, which pertain to defamation.
The case was later transferred to Guntur special court. As the case progressed, the court issued notices to Pawan Kalyan, leading to an investigation where the volunteers involved were asked to provide their statements.
Interestingly, the volunteers clarified that they had not lodged any complaint against Pawan Kalyan and stated that his comments did not damage their reputation.
After considering the statements of the volunteers, Special Court Judge R. Sarath Babu concluded the hearing and officially dismissed the case.